Key day for Wimbledon expansion plans as London council hears case with local NIMBY opposition
The plans which could see the famous Wimbledon grounds vastly expand will be considered today at a committee meeting.
Merton Council will later today consider the plans which would see the All England Club almost triple in side.
If the expansion plans were successful, Wimbledon would add 38 new courts meaning qualifying competitions could take place at the iconic Grand Slam venue.
Among those 38 courts would be a new 8,000 capacity show court, with plans for the development submitted in 2021.
If successful Wimbledon say the courts could be ready for use by 2030.
Wimbledon opposition
But approval will not be guaranteed with some local residents unhappy with plans for SE19s adjacent Wimbledon Park and Golf Course being impacted by the expansion – the All England Club bought the lease for the Wimbledon Park Golf Club for a reported £65m in 2018.
In outlining its plans, the All England Club said: “The AELTC seeks continually to ensure that the Championships, proudly a local and national asset, remains a world-leading sporting event.
“Bringing the qualifying event on site in order to improve it to be worthy of our world-class player field, enhancing practice and junior event facilities and providing a third ‘show court’ are all measures aimed at ensuring Wimbledon remains the world’s premier tennis tournament, with all the associated substantial social and economic benefits that the event brings, locally and nationally.”
The Save Wimbledon Park petition currently has 13,212 signatures with the organisers aiming for 15,000.
The protestors state the expansion would “break the 1933 covenants demanded by Merton [council] to protect the golf course” and have an “unacceptable environmental impact”.
“With tournament use limited to 3 weeks, the density of courts and infrastructure across the site is excessive,” they add.