Wimbledon expansion plans: What’s at stake as decision day in long-running battle approaches | Wimbledon

The AELTC claims it lags behind the other Grand Slams in three areas: practice facilities, qualifying and the status of the third show court. It wants to build an 8,000-seat show court on the site of the old Wimbledon Park golf club and use the other 38 courts for a qualifying tournament and practice facilities.

Do you think the expansion will increase the number of spectators?

Yes. Wimbledon attracts around 40,000 visitors a day, but the AELTC believes the new development will increase that number by around 10,000. It also hopes to attract 10,000 fans a day to the qualifying tournament, which is much higher than the 2,000 capacity at the Bank of England club in Roehampton, where it is currently held.

What is the position of the residents?

Firstly, they claim the expansion is unnecessary as Wimbledon will remain the biggest slam due to its history and reputation. They also warn the proposals will lead to “corporate genocide”, including the loss of 300 trees, and 10 years of disruption to the local environment. Finally, they say the plans will create a vast “tennis industrial complex” – with 9km of pathways, player hubs and corporate hospitality that will be shut down for much of the year.

Are there any other objections?

Yes. Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, is among those who question the plans from a legal perspective. “Wimbledon Park is protected Grade II listed urban open land,” she says. “This means that ‘very special circumstances’ have to be proven before construction can go ahead.”

What is the AELTC’s response to the objections?

Unsurprisingly, it rejects much of this analysis. It also points out that it will plant 1,500 trees and spend £6m desilting the lake at Wimbledon Park. It says it will allow residents to play on at least seven courts after Wimbledon ends until the end of the summer. It has also pledged to build a promenade around the lake at Wimbledon Park. Such moves have been welcomed by the local heritage group, which has now backed the plan. However, Save Wimbledon Park describes them as mere “crumbs on the table”.

How could the two parties be so at odds with each other?

When the AELTC bought the Wimbledon Park golf course land from Merton Borough Council for £5.2 million in 1993, it also signed a covenant agreeing not to use the land “other than for leisure or recreational purposes or as open space”. Some residents’ groups believe they have breached that promise with their proposals.

What is the reaction of the residents?

Save Wimbledon Park said the GLA report contained a “superficial and poorly thought-out planning analysis which appears to have taken the AELTC views literally”. It also noted that Richard Rees, who designed the new No 1 Court and Henman Hill between 1992 and 1997, is opposed to the plans.

If the AELTC wins, will it be definitively in favor of expansion?

Not quite. Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler says that “all is not lost” even if the deputy mayor rules in favour of the AELTC. Kohler points to a High Court case last year that banned the building of houses in a park protected by a 100-year-old statutory trust, and says it could apply here too.

Is this just classic NIMBYism?

Residents insist they are not nimbies. Nick Thomas of Save Wimbledon Park also says they like tennis at Wimbledon. “But we object to the scale of the proposals and the cavalier attitude of the club,” he says. “And the remarkable refusal of the club to discuss how a compromise can be reached.”