The London Assembly has approved controversial plans to expand the Wimbledon tennis tournament which will see 8,000-seater show court and 38 new courts built on a former golf course in Wimbledon Park.
On Friday afternoon, following an all-day hearing in which Wimbledon and Putney residents spoke passionately against the expansion, deputy London Mayor Jules Pipe gave his verdict: that he agreed with the planning officers of the GLA that the plans should be approved as they represented “special circumstances” and “the benefits clearly outweigh the harms.”
The expansion proposed by the All England Lawn and Tennis Club (AELTC) has been fiercely resisted for a number years, with local residents complaining they will cause significant environmental damage and don’t take into account the fact that when the land was originally sold by the council (and later converted into a golf course) that the sale came with a promise not to develop on it.
No challenge from new Labour government
Pipe addressed the legal covenant point directly today when he said that the benefits were greater than the harms “whether the lands are held in statutory trust or not.” That may have been an effort to stave off a legal challenge but initial reactions from local residents indicate that they will seek some kind of judicial review.
Hopes that the London Assembly decision would by challenged by central government were also dashed on Friday when deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said she would not use her authority to “call it in.”
It’s not just local residents that are opposed to AELTC’s plans: both Wimbledon’s and Putney’s MPs have publicly opposed the expansion and they were also refused by Wandsworth Council in November last year in an unanimous 7-0 vote. That decision stated that the plans would “cause substantial harm to the openness of Metropolitan Open Land” – the complete opposite decision, on the same point, of the London Assembly decision today.
Deputy mayor Pipe’s instead reached the same conclusion as Merton Council did last year: that the development will not cause substantial harm. Wimbledon Park is situated across two London Boroughs, with the bulk of the part in Merton and the top part (where the famous Wimbledon Queue is located) in Wandsworth.
Merton defends position
Merton Council was quick to put out a statement both in support of the London Assembly decision, and defending its own decision, arguing that “the planning system and property covenants are two separate things. And the granting of planning permission does not override the covenants nor make them unenforceable.”
It has refused to discuss the issue further however, saying that while “AELTC’s plans have generated a lot of public interest, the Council is unable to say any more at this stage.”
You can watch the full hearing, which runs for several hours, below.
