Inside the years-long contentious planning row at Wimbledon

Strawberries and cream, Pimms, and Murray Mound are phrases reserved for one of the great British sporting spectacles: Wimbledon.

Thousands of people will descend on SW19 to breathe in the captivating atmosphere and see tennis’s top stars, such as Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff.

The competition will get underway on Monday, and as people walk towards the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) along Church Road, they will spot a bit of land that used to be a golf club. This land has been the subject of a contentious planning row.

AELTC bought the lease for the neighbouring Wimbledon Park Golf Club for a reported £65m in 2018, and has ambitious plans for the site, which also incorporates Wimbledon Park Lake.

It wants to build 38 new courts, including a third show court with a seating capacity of 8,000 and a retractable roof, as well as designated north and south player hubs, while also providing publicly accessible parkland.

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Under the proposals, originally submitted in 2021, the grounds would almost triple in size, allowing Wimbledon to host the qualifying tournaments in SW19 rather than at their current venue a couple of miles away in Roehampton.

The work is projected to be completed in 2030, delivering an increase in the capacity of the championships from 42,000 to 50,000 along with “benefits relating to heritage open space, recreation and community”.

However, the application is in gridlock. The ambitious scheme has not gone down well with some residents, who have set up a campaign group, Save Wimbledon Park, to object to the development and garnered thousands of petition signatures.

Among the members of the group is Christopher Coombe, a retired lawyer who specialised in commercial property. Speaking to The Independent, he sets out the case against the development.

“The first thing is that it’s green belt land, and should not be built upon; the second thing is, it is a Grade-II-star-listed heritage park, and if [it might] cause harm to the heritage, that development would not be allowed unless it was clearly outweighed by lots of benefits. We say there is no weighting to the benefits [AELTC] are offering.

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“The third point is, environmentally, it’s what’s called an irreplaceable habitat. It was parkland, it should remain parkland, and the planning rules say you shouldn’t develop irreplaceable habitat.”

Mr Coombe adds that the group believes a restrictive convenant applies to the land, meaning that it can only be used for recreational purposes and cannot be developed.

Iain Simpson is chair of the Wimbledon Park Residents Association, another local group that is incensed by the application.

He told the Daily Mirror: “The size of the development is just totally unacceptable. It’s a ridiculous application. If you think of all the obstacles lying in front of them, in terms of development, it’s just a smack in the face for anything that we could possibly rely on in terms of legal obligations. Basically, nobody trusts them any more.”

After being approached for comment, AELTC said that a number of residents support the proposals, as does the Wimbledon Park Heritage Group, a local independent group.

The Wimbledon Park Heritage Group said: “I’m writing to let you know that the Heritage Group is now in support of the All England’s latest offering, which goes well beyond anything I ever imagined they would offer.

“The support for facilities in the public park is just amazing. And then, considering that this valley has been dedicated to sport for over 100 years, well, this development is the final chapter. Yes, there is a Capability Brown heritage associated with the park, but with the exception of the lake, all of the ground has been changed to suit the golf course etc.”

The long-running saga has already been through multiple twists and turns in the planning system. The AELTC application was passed by Merton Council in October last year, but the site is also partially in Wandsworth, which refused the application.

The decision has now been referred upwards to the Greater London Authority; eventually, it could well end up in the hands of whoever ends up being the relevant secretary of state after the general election.

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In May, AELTC made a further effort to win over disgruntled locals, with the inclusion of four more acres of public parkland, bringing the total to 27 acres.

Chair Debbie Jevans said: “I am delighted that, following the many thousands of conversations we have had with local people about our plans, and working with the Greater London Authority, we are now able to propose even more green space for Londoners to enjoy, on land that has been inaccessible to the public for more than 100 years.

“We continue to be committed to delivering significant social and environmental improvements, as well as creating hundreds of jobs and generating millions of pounds in economic benefits.”

The Save Wimbledon Park group was unimpressed, and said the changes were “extremely disappointing” and that the area would still become “a huge industrial tennis complex”.

This quarrel over planning is one of many difficult situations that the incoming government will have to tackle... and for the residents of SW19, the battle will continue.