Plans to expand Wimbledon by building 38 courts and new 8,000-seater stadium FINALLY set to be heard by Merton Council later this month after strong local opposition
- It’s almost five years since Wimbledon bought the lease on golf club for £65m
- Plans have been drawn up for 38 courts and a new stadium on SW19 site
- Merton Council will hear the plans but the process could have long way to run
Wimbledon’s planning application for the biggest expansion in its history is finally set to be heard later this month.
Nearly five years after buying out the lease on the neighbouring golf club for £65 million, the scheme to build 38 courts including a new 8,000-seat stadium will go in front of Merton Council on October 26.
However, that will not be end of the matter as the size of the plans means that it looks certain then to be passed on to the Greater London Authority, and potentially higher up the chain to the Secretary of State.
There is also the possibility of a legal challenge centring around covenants which accompanied the original sale of the land in 1993.
The hearing has been repeatedly delayed after attracting strong opposition from residents’ groups, MPs and environmental bodies, although local feeling against the project is by no means universal.
Plans to expand Wimbledon, which feature 38 courts and a new 8,000-capacity stadium, are finally set to be heard by Merton Council on October 26
Despite this progress, the planning application is likely to rumble on for several years yet
The bulk of the application involves Merton, whose controlling Labour group is expected to approve the plans.
Neighbouring Wandsworth council is involved in a smaller portion of the application and that is not expected to be heard until November.
Wimbledon’s ultimate ambition is to bring its qualifying event on site, and part of the scheme will see the opening of a new park area open to the public.
Originally the All England Club hoped that its vision might become reality by the end of this decade, but with several hurdles still to be overcome any completion is now unlikely to happen until the 2030s.
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