Wimbledon Expansion: Extra Courts at All England Club Get Boost in Planning

The All England Club has received a boost for its plans to build 39 new tennis courts at Wimbledon Park.

Greater London Authority (GLA) officials have recommended that the deputy mayor grant conditional planning permission at a public hearing next Friday.

Merton Borough Council approved the plans, but the proposal was referred to the GLA after Wandsworth Borough Council rejected the plan last November.

Officials said the proposal complies with most relevant spatial planning policies and there were “no material considerations that would justify refusing permission”.

They admit that there will be loss of open space and damage to protected urban open areas, but conclude that the ‘balance is clearly in favour’ of approving the plan.

The All England Club’s plans include 39 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seater stadium at Wimbledon Park.

The extra courts will allow Wimbledon qualifying to take place on site, as it has for the other three Grand Slams. In addition, the All England Club has pledged to create a new 23-hectare public park, in keeping with the original design by landscape architect Capability Brown.

There is local opposition from groups such as Save Wimbledon Park, who fear the area will become a “massive industrial tennis complex”.

The full planning hearing will take place at London City Hall on Friday 27 September, with a decision likely to be made later the same day.

The decision lies with Jules Pipe, the deputy mayor of London, after Mayor Sadiq Khan excused himself from the process after publicly supporting the plans in 2021.

The deputy mayor’s decision may not be the end of the process. Angela Rayner – the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government – could also decide to withdraw the application and hold a new planning hearing.

The minister has seven days to consider her options, starting from the moment the decision is communicated to her.