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Wimbledon expansion set to add 39 new courts following opposition from local residents
Tennis NewsTuesday, 24 September 2024 at 05:30
Following a lengthy legal battle, it appears the addition of new courts at Wimbledon has been greenlit, after the Greater London Authority (GLA) recommended that the project should be approved.
Although the All England Club made the proposal years ago, the project has faced resistance from the local community. Residents had been against the idea, stating this would lead to the creation of a huge “tennis industrial complex” that would lie silent for much of the year. However, officers at the GLA recommended that the deputy mayor should grant conditional planning permission at a public hearing on September 27, 2024.
Proponents of project highlight economic benefits
Officials backing the proposal stated it would bring in £336m of annual benefits and “would result in the creation of 40 year-round jobs and 256 Championships jobs”, according to the 221-page report.
The All England Club proposed that it needs a third 8,000-seat show court, along with 38 other grass courts that would host qualifying matches and improved practice facilities, to ensure Wimbledon remains the world’s pre-eminent tennis tournament. Nonetheless, residents have maintained it will cause environmental damage and a loss of green spaces on protected metropolitan open land.
Although initially approved by the Merton council, the proposal was referred to the GLA after Wandsworth council rejected the scheme last November. The full planning hearing will take place at City Hall on 27 September, with a verdict potentially the same day.
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