Wimbledon chiefs are locked in a growing row over expansion plans which have been likened to an “act of vandalism” by opponents of the scheme.
The All England Tennis and Croquet Club have put forward proposals for 39 tennis courts on Wimbledon Park Golf Course, including an 8,000-seat show court. Their ambitious plans are aimed at bringing qualifying on site from its traditional Roehampton base by the end of this decade.
But local residents, opposition councillors and environmental groups have united to take on the All England Club, arguing they are breaking past promises and claiming the new courts would have a detrimental environmental impact.
The matter is set to be discussed at a Merton Council meeting tonight, with a petition of objections running into four figures to be lodged with the council as well as a motion to ensure the council keep the covenant laid out when the AELTC bought the freehold to the golf course back in 1993 for £5.2million.
At the time, it was agreed by Merton Council that “the golf course land will be retained as open space. The whole stretch has been designated Metropolitan Open Land. We have declared it a conservation area and placed strong covenants on the sale”.
The then chairman of the AELTC said “we completely understand and support everyone’s determination to keep the land open and we have purchased the land on that basis”.
Known as the Estate Master Plan, Wimbledon have said the aim of their expansion is to maintain their position as the premier tennis tournament in the world. They also said today they cared about their “role in the community and we continue to engage in active discussions with local residents, councillors and other interested groups”.
The 240-year-old landscape was designed by Capability Brown on land owned by the Spencer family, the ancestors of Diana.
Up to 300 trees are expected to be cut down — although the All England Club plan to plant 1,500 new ones — while the lake will be dredged with a new boardwalk built around it as part of a 9.4-hectare public park.
But Chris Baker, director of the Capability Brown Society, described the revamp as an “act of vandalism”. He said: “We’ve got a behemoth trying to drive a tractor through it, for want of a better expression, and they’re being completely opaque with the whole process. This started as a local matter but is becoming a site of national importance and interest.”
The various opposition groups with a vested interest met for the first time last week, organised by Merton councillor Paul Kohler, who missed out on being elected as MP for Wimbledon to Stephen Hammond by just 628 votes at the last General Election.
“People are very angry,” said Kohler ahead of tabling the motion at the Merton Council meeting tonight. “They are clearly worried. The AELTC are seen as always getting their own way. It’s David versus Goliath.
“There is a feeling of resentment that when the freehold was sold it would not be built upon, and now they’re going back on that promise. Our motion is to ask the council ‘will you enforce the covenants’?”
The decision looks set to ultimately rest with Merton Council’s planning committee, with the hearing now looking set to take place after their May elections.
Iain Simpson, chair of Wimbledon Park Residents Association, said he had never known such furore in decades to a Merton planning application.
He likened the widened proposals by the All England Club to “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut”. He said: “This application is way over the top. A lot of people normally very supportive of the All England locally are horrified what they intend to do. We’re currently doing enough to rattle the cage. And environmentally it’s a pretty brutal development but we’re in it for the long run.”
Following the latest criticism, the All England Club said: “Our proposals are vital to the future success of Wimbledon as one of the world’s iconic sporting venues, and our ability to be an active contributor to our local community both today and for future generations.
“This project will deliver enduring and sustainable benefit for the community by opening up a large area of private land to become a new 9.4-hectare free public park, a 10 per cent biodiversity increase through the improved lake environment, restoration of natural habitats and planting of 1,500 grown trees, and community use of the proposed show court and courts year round.”
