Wimbledon decision challenged in court amid bitter argument over 'dangerous precedent'

While Wimbledon closes in on its grand finale this weekend, a battle for the tournament’s future rages behind the scenes.

The Grand Slam at the All England Lawn Tennis Club is a fixture in the sporting calendar and is one of the most famous and prestigious events in the country. And while it functions well on its current site, the organisers want to expand things across the road.

The AELTC wants to expand the tournament by building 38 new grass courts and a 8,000-seat show court across Church Road on the site of what used to be Wimbledon Park Golf Club. The land was bought from Merton Council in 1993 for £5.1million and the golf club accepted a £65m offer to end its lease early in 2018, paving the way for the expansion.

What has followed has been a bitter and prolonged argument between the AELTC and local residents and politicians, who want to block the build. After many twists and turns involving tense council meetings, planning applications and the Mayor of London, the case has now reached the High Court.

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Campaign group Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) has taken legal action against the Greater London Authority (GLA) for greenlighting the expansion. SWP believes that the expansion is unlawful due to restrictions on the land and are asking the judge to quash the original approval in order for the plans to be scrutinised again.

Sir Sadiq Khan excused himself from ruling on the row, having previously backed the plans, leaving the city's deputy mayor for planning to make the decision. The ruling was that the proposal's benefits "clearly outweigh the harm", but SWP hasn't given up.

There is cross-party opposition to the plans, with Labour’s Fleur Anderson, for Putney, Southfields and Roehampton, joined by ex-Conservative MP for Wimbledon, Stephen Hammond, in expressing concerns over the plans. Writing a joint letter in the Evening Standard, they said: “If this development were allowed to proceed it would set a dangerous precedent.”

Anderson told Mirror Sport in 2023: “It’s blocking really valuable green space away from the people who should own it – the residents – and it’s the AELTC having a land grab for an industrial development and trying to make it look as though it’s a nice project for a new park, which it’s not.”

Iain Simpson, chairman of the Wimbledon Park Residents Association, said: “The size of the development is just totally unacceptable. It’s a ridiculous application.”

Clearly, those in power do not agree, but the case will continue to rumble on in the High Court as Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and co wow fans on the courts in SW19.