The House of Lords will vote on 13 April on an amendment to the English Devolution Bill that would remove the legal protections keeping Wimbledon Park in public use – and the government minister responsible is now formally listed as a co-sponsor.
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, the Housing Minister, had her name printed on Amendment 248 on 20 March, one day after the High Court ruled against Save Wimbledon Park on the statutory trust question. The move completes a journey from opposing the same mechanism in November 2025, through verbal backing in March, to official co-sponsorship.
If the amendment passes, the House of Commons will consider it on 21 April.
Opposition crystallises from three directions
Three moderating amendments have been tabled to limit Amendment 248’s reach.
Amendment 249, tabled by Baroness Pinnock and Baroness Miller, would require the Secretary of State to obtain the consent of the relevant council and carry out meaningful public engagement before removing any open space protections. Amendment 250, from Baroness Scott and Baroness Jamieson, would block any such order until the government had completed a promised review of open spaces law. A further amendment from Lord Lucas would require the Secretary of State to consult any government department likely to be affected and publish the outcome before Parliament.
A review of statutory trust protections that Taylor promised in November has not started. When asked in March why, she said she had been “a bit busy with other legislation.”
The Open Spaces Society, founded in 1865 and England’s oldest conservation body, has called for Amendment 248 to be withdrawn. Helen Monger, the society’s General Secretary, describes it as “premature and flawed.” The society warned that the amendment “in fact goes much further, and could damage green spaces far into the future.” The society says the threat extends well beyond the Wimbledon Park dispute that prompted it.
What the amendment does
Amendment 248 would give the Secretary of State the power to remove the legal protections that keep publicly donated land in community use. Councils would have 28 days to show they were complying with any order. If they could not, the Secretary of State would be required to assume they were not. The amendment would reach back in time, covering past land sales as well as future ones, including Merton Council’s sale of the golf course to the AELTC in 1993 for £5.2 million.
SWP responds with alternative proposals
Save Wimbledon Park announced yesterday that it is presenting alternative plans for the golf course site at two public meetings later in April. The proposals have been drawn up by Ken McFarlane, an architect, and Richard Rees, a tennis facilities planner.
The campaign says the plans “offer a better solution to AELTC’s requirements while causing less environmental harm and allowing greater public access.” SWP’s message to its supporters adds that “AELTC should stop and think again.”
The Southfields meeting takes place on Thursday 16 April, 7–9.30pm, at St Barnabas Church, 146 Lavenham Road, SW18 5EP. The Wimbledon meeting is on Wednesday 22 April, 7–9.30pm, at St Marks Church, St Marks Place, SW19 7ND.
What happens next
The Amendment 248 debate is scheduled for 13 April, the final day of the Lords Report stage. If it passes, MPs will consider it on 21 April. The bill must complete its full parliamentary passage before the State Opening of Parliament on 13 May.
Local elections take place on 7 May. The outcome in Merton has implications for covenant enforcement, a separate question from the statutory trust argument resolved by the High Court.
Putney.news has covered the Wimbledon Park dispute for over a year. The full series is here.
