
Wimbledons expansion plans boosted when judge dismisses legal challenge
The Save Wimbledon Park group took legal action against the Greater London Authority's decision to grant planning permission last year.
Aside from concerns about the environment and overall scale, opponents argued that the adjacent property that was a golf course when the All England Club bought it in 2018 is subject to restrictions that favor preservation of open spaces for the public.
Wimbledon's plan includes adding an 8,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof and 38 other grass courts that would allow the All England Club to move its qualifying event on-site to boost attendance and revenue.
'In short, the defendant's decision on the relevance of deliverability, applying to both the statutory trust and the restrictive covenants, was a planning judgment rationally exercised and having regard to appropriate and relevant factors," judge Justice Saini said.
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament that holds its qualifying rounds at a completely separate location. There are also too few practice courts in the current setup, requiring some of the world's best players to share courts.
'We are delighted that Mr. Justice Saini has dismissed the challenge to the GLA's decision to grant planning permission for our plans to transform the former Wimbledon Park golf course," said Deborah Jevans, chair of the All England Club.
'It is clear that we have a robust planning permission that enables us to create a permanent home for the Wimbledon qualifying competition as well as delivering 27 acres of beautiful new park land for local people, providing public access to land that has been a private golf course for over 100 years," Jevans added.
The next hurdle in the process is a hearing in January over whether there is a statutory trust over the former golf course land. (AP) ATK
view comments
First Published:
July 21, 2025, 20:15 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'He'll break Sachin Tendulkar's record in 2027' — Michael Vaughan's bold prediction for Joe Root
Joe Root (AP Photo) NEW DELHI: Joe Root 's majestic 150 at Old Trafford in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy not only put England in the driver's seat against India but also saw him leapfrog Rahul Dravid , Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Root, now on 13,409 runs from 157 Tests, is within 2,500 runs of Sachin Tendulkar 's legendary mark of 15,921. While tributes poured in for the 34-year-old Englishman, it was former England captain Michael Vaughan who grabbed attention with a bold prediction. Poll Will Joe Root surpass Sachin Tendulkar's Test run record? Yes, definitely! No, not likely. Maybe, depends on his form. Speaking on Cricbuzz alongside Dinesh Karthik , Vaughan said: 'Sachin is a God. We know that. But I absolutely believe Joe Root will go past Tendulkar. I've looked into my crystal ball… I think it'll be the fourth Test in 2027 against Australia. Pat Cummins will bowl one on his hip, Root will glance it, and he'll go past Sachin. That's the dream. That's the crystal ball.' Karthik, amused but respectful, replied, 'Let's start by saying Sachin Tendulkar is not a Yorkie, even though he played one season there. But jokes apart, I think Root will get within touching distance. Whether he goes past it...' Australia legend Ricky Ponting, whom Root overtook on the list, also backed the Yorkshireman to surpass the Master Blaster. 'Just the one more to go now,' Ponting said on Sky Sports. 'He's about 2,500 runs behind, but the way he's been batting the last few years, there's absolutely no reason why he can't become No. 1.' Ponting lauded Root's appetite post-30, highlighting his 25 centuries since then, and added: 'He's not someone obsessed with stats, but when he's done, he'll look back and be proud. If he plays another 20-30 Tests and keeps scoring the way he is — 85 per game — Tendulkar's record is definitely in reach.' Root's latest hundred — his 38th — also ties him with Kumar Sangakkara on the all-time century list, and could very well shape the outcome of this series. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!


Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Eovaldi pitches 5 scoreless innings as Rangers beat Braves 8-3
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi pitched three-hit ball over five scoreless innings in his first start since the All-Star break and the Texas Rangers beat the Atlanta Braves 8-3 on Friday night. Eovaldi (8-3) threw 53 of his 86 pitches for strikes as Texas won its fourth straight and handed Atlanta a third straight loss. He struck out seven but walked a season-high four. It was also Eovaldi's first start since the Rangers paid him a $100,000 All-Star Game bonus even though the 35-year-old wasn't selected despite a 7-3 record and a 1.58 ERA. He missed his first start after the break — a matchup with AL All-Star starter Tarik Skubal and the Tigers — with back tightness. Sam Haggerty singled leading off the first against Joey Wentz (2-2) before stealing his 10th base and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Marcus Semien for a 1-0 lead. Jonah Heim hit his ninth home run — a two-out shot in the second for a 2-0 lead. Wyatt Langford had a two-out RBI double in the fourth and Sam Haggerty doubled in a run in the fifth for a 4-0 advantage. Three singles, two walks, a hit batter and a sac fly led to four runs in the eighth. Michael Harris II hit his eighth home run — a leadoff shot off Jacob Latz in the seventh to cut it to 4-1. Wentz allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings. Corey Seager went 0 for 3 but walked twice to extend his on-base streak to 25 games for the Rangers. Austin Riley went 0 for 4 in his first game for Atlanta since suffering an abdominal strain on July 11. Texas had allowed two runs or fewer in a club-record-tying seven straight games until Caleb Boushley surrendered two in the ninth to end the run. Seager is the only player to have an on-base streak of 24-plus games in each of the last three seasons. Braves RHP Grant Holmes (4-9, 3.81) starts against Rangers rookie RHP Kumar Rocker (4-4, 5.66) on Saturday.


The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
DC Open: Raducanu, Leylah enter women's semifinals; Shelton, De Minaur in final four in men's singles
Emma Raducanu reached the semifinals at the D.C. Open — the biggest tournament where she's made it that far since her surprising 2021 U.S. Open title — by eliminating Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 on Friday. On a muggy day with the temperature topping 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), Raducanu took a medical timeout while reeling off the last five games of the match after trailing 5-2 in the second set. 'I would like to say I'm pretty good in the heat, for the most part, but I was really struggling today,' said Raducanu, who was 18 when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles trophy. 'It was one of the toughest matches, conditions-wise, I have ever played in. ... Those points in the second set, I was getting a bit wobbly. I'm just happy I could close it out, and it was two sets.' Also reaching the semifinals at the hard-court tournament in Washington was Leylah Fernandez, the runner-up to Raducanu at Flushing Meadows four years ago. Leylah moved on with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over qualifier Taylor Townsend on Thursday. Next for Leylah is a matchup against 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, the highest remaining seed in the field at No. 3. Rybakina was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over No. 5 Magdanela Frech, the player who beat Venus Williams on Thursday night. Raducanu's semifinal opponent Saturday will be Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated No. 4 Clara Tauson 6-3, 7-5. In men's action, Ben Shelton made it to the D.C. Open semifinals for the second consecutive year, getting past Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (2), 6-4 in an all-American quarterfinal at night. Shelton won 90 percent of his first-serve points and ended the match with his ninth ace, at 146 mph. The fourth-seeded Shelton, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, will face No. 1 seed Taylor Fritz or No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday for a berth in the final. The other men's semifinal will be No. 7 Alex de Minaur against Corentin Moutet. De Minaur beat No. 14 Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-4, and Moutet was a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner over 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev in a match delayed for about an hour late in the third set because of lightning in the area.