Wimbledon's expansion plans approved by Merton Council despite public protest
Merton Council have approved Wimbledon's expansion plans of building an 8,000-seater show court and 38 other grass courts on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course, despite public protest; A petition organised by 'Save Wimbledon Park' has attracted more than 13,000 signatures.
Friday 27 October 2023 19:15, UK
Wimbledon's ambitious expansion plans - which involve building an 8,000-seater show court and 38 other grass courts - have been approved by Merton Council, who met to greenlight the move on Thursday night despite public disapproval.
When the result for the vote was announced, a spectator in the public gallery shouted that the council chamber had become a 'climate crime scene' and was asked to leave.
Planning officers did advise that proposals would result in 'physical harm' to Metropolitan Open Land - but concluded 'very special circumstances' meant 'substantial public benefits would clearly outweigh [the] harm'.
A spokesperson for the London Borough of Merton said: "After considering the officer's report, relevant submissions, and the relevant planning framework, the independent planning committee, made up of councillors from all parties, voted to approve the application made by the All England Lawn Tennis Ground (AELTG) for expansion of its site at Wimbledon.
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"There are further stages in the planning process and the land remains subject to covenants contained in the transfer of 1993 from the Council to AELTG.
"Until these covenants are properly addressed by AELTG, they operate to restrict the use and development of the land as proposed in the planning application."
If the plan goes ahead, the new courts are unlikely to be in use before 2030. Wandsworth Council is next on the cards to hurdle, as their boundaries also cover part of the site.
The matter would then have to be cleared by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the Greater London Authority - a process that Iain Simpson, chair of Wimbledon Park Residents' Association, believes will not be an easy one.
He said: "We are not at all surprised by the outcome of the vote. Most of the inconsistencies in the report were glossed over.
"Merton did not even bring their own experts into the hearing, and instead relied on the applicant to advise the councillors who were asking the questions! In addition their pronouncements on the environment still ignored their own expert advice where it didn't suit them!
"On all that was said about the stadium and the buildings, these are still in outline - and outline designs on protected land contravene their own planning regulations" Simpson added.
"They therefore cannot be discussed in any meaningful way. This is just a stage in what will be a long process for which Save Wimbledon Park is well prepared."
Stephen Hammond, Conservative MP for Wimbledon, said that building on the park "pretty much contravenes every recommendation" on Metropolitan Open Land - a form of protection that treats green spaces in London in a similar way to the green belt.
He said: "If you read the officers' report, there's a whole chunk of it which effectively says this offends every planning policy and then says because there are very special circumstances we're going to let it through."
Mr Hammond said the decision meant "no park or green space in Merton really can ever be assured of protection again, that's also true for London".
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He added: "There's nothing to stop every developer pointing to this case and saying you can build on Metropolitan Open Land in London.
"You can see another developer saying, 'I'm building you a lovely new community sports stadium but I need to put 50 flats by the side of it to justify it', you can see those sorts of applications potentially coming in as a result of this."
The plans were originally submitted in 2021 and Wimbledon chiefs anticipate that the new courts, if they get the go-ahead, will be ready for use in 2030.
