Legal challenge over Wimbledon expansion set to be heard at High Court
Planning permission for the scheme was granted last year by Jules Pipe, London's deputy mayor for planning, who said that the proposals 'would facilitate very significant benefits' which 'clearly outweigh the harm'.
Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said at the time that the proposals would deliver 27 acres of 'newly accessible parkland for the community', and would allow the qualifying tournament for Wimbledon – currently staged at Roehampton – to be held on-site.
But campaigners say that Wimbledon Park, a Grade II*-listed heritage site, is subject to similar protections as the green belt or royal parks and that allowing development on the site would set a 'dangerous precedent'.
SWP's lawyers are set to argue that the GLA's decision failed to take into account the implications of 'restrictive covenants' on the use of the land, and that the development would cause 'deliberate damage'.
The GLA is defending the legal challenge at a two-day hearing before Mr Justice Saini, which is due to begin at 10.30am at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
The plans were first submitted to both Merton and Wandsworth Councils, with the park straddling the boroughs, in 2021, three years after the All England Club bought out golf club members with the intention of developing the land.
After Merton Council approved the plans, but Wandsworth Council rejected them, the Mayor of London's office took charge of the application.
Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan then recused himself from the process in 2023, having previously expressed public support for the development.
The plans attracted opposition from Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, and Richard Rees, who was previously the lead planner for the building of Wimbledon's Court One and the development of 'Henman Hill'.
Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Christopher Coombe, a director of SWP, said: 'If this decision by the GLA is upheld and the development goes ahead, the detrimental impacts on our environment and delicate ecosystem will be devastating.
'Our community has given massive support to the campaign over four years, desperate to stop the loss of open space intended for public recreation.
'This is not just in SW19; it's happening all over London. Once built, it is gone forever, and there is very little local trust in an organisation that prides itself on fair play, but then breaks its word.
'We all love the Wimbledon championships, but don't believe the proposal is really about protecting the future of the world's best tennis tournament.
'We will continue to press (the All England Club) to reconsider their fighting stance towards our community and to join us in finding a resolution that we can all get behind.'
A spokesperson for the All England Club said: 'Our proposals will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012.
'They are crucial to ensuring Wimbledon remains at the pinnacle of tennis, one of the world's best sporting events, and a global attraction for both London and the UK.
'On offer are substantial year-round benefits for our community and the delivery of significant social, economic, and environmental improvements.
'This includes more than 27 acres of new public parkland on what is currently inaccessible, private land.
'Our plans will increase the size of Wimbledon Park by a third and create spaces for people and nature to thrive.
'There will be a very significant increase in biodiversity across the site and our proposals are underpinned by more than 1,000 hours of ecological surveys, which are endorsed by the London Wildlife Trust.
'We have spoken to more than 10,000 people as part of our consultation events, and we know that the vast majority of people just want us to get on and deliver the many benefits on offer.'
A GLA spokesperson said: 'The Mayor believes this scheme will bring a significant range of benefits, including environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits to the local area, the wider capital and the UK economy.
'It will create new jobs and green spaces and cement Wimbledon's reputation as the greatest tennis competition in the world.
'An application has been made for the court to determine this matter, and it is therefore inappropriate for the mayor to comment further at this stage.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Fritz defies Khachanov fightback and line-call blooper to reach Wimbledon last four
Taylor Fritz survived a mid‑match dip, a bold fightback from his opponent and even another line‑calling malfunction as he beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) on Tuesday to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon for the first time. The American coasted through the first two sets with some imperious serving, not facing a single break point, only to dip markedly in the third to allow Khachanov back into the match. However, after falling a break behind early in the fourth set, the No 5 seed rediscovered his focus and played a near flawless tie-break to advance to a clash with the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz. 'It's an amazing feeling,' said Fritz, who hit 16 aces. 'Having played the quarter-finals here twice and lost in five [sets] twice, I don't think I could have taken another one. I'm really happy I'm going to get to play the semis here. I'm feeling great to get through it. The match was going so well for me for two sets, I've never really had a match just flip so quickly, so I'm really happy how I came back in the fourth set and got it done. I think momentum was not going to be on my side in the fifth.' Another malfunction in the electronic line-calling system occurred at the start of the fourth set, when a forehand from Khachanov, which landed four feet inside the baseline, was called 'fault'. The umpire, Louise Azemar-Engzell, stopped the point, got on the phone to reset the system and the point was replayed. Fritz ended up being broken as Khachanov moved ahead. However, the American broke back for 2-2 and from then on the two men raised the level and began to play outstanding tennis. The Russian held serve at 5-5 from 0-30, thanks to a brilliant lunging volley. Fritz was impregnable on serve again, though, and in the tie-break he began with a 138mph ace, hit two more and finished it off with a smash into the open court. Four years ago, after he lost against Alexander Zverev here in the third round, Fritz wrote a note on his girlfriend's phone, saying: 'Nobody in the whole world is underachieving harder than you, you are so good but 40 in the world, get your shit together.' Now, he is in the top five, reached his first grand slam final at the US Open last year and is one match away from a first Wimbledon final. 'At the time, my ranking was slipping,' he said. 'I was coming back from a surgery and I felt like I was not playing to the level I felt like I should be playing. That note was never supposed to be public. I was ranting to my girlfriend about it, she said: 'Write it down, look at it.' I'm really happy with how I've turned my career around over the last four years or so. I've put in a lot of work and it's good to see the results.' Standing between Fritz and a first Wimbledon final is Alcaraz, who ended British interest with an impressive victory against Cameron Norrie. The pair have played each other twice, both on hard courts, with Alcaraz winning both times. The Spaniard has won the title in each of the past two years here but Fritz believes that if he can find his level, he has a fighting chance. 'I'm happy that we're not playing at the French Open on clay with the French Open balls because that would be an absolute nightmare,' he said, laughing. 'I think grass is very much so an equaliser. So, trust in how I'm playing. I truly know the way that I played the first two sets today, there's not much any opponent on the other side can do.' And as an American, Fritz says he has already experienced the most pressure he is ever likely to face, when beating Frances Tiafoe to reach the US Open final last year. 'It's given me a lot of confidence in those moments and situations, just having been there, that I can do it again,' Fritz said. 'I've played the pressure matches. I don't think anything's going to get more stressful than me playing Frances in New York for a spot in the final.'
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Cameron Norrie backs ‘unreal' Carlos Alcaraz to win Wimbledon again
Norrie had hoped to become just the third home player in the open era to defeat a men's title holder in SW19 after Roger Taylor and Tim Henman but succumbed to a 6-2 6-3 6-3 quarter-final defeat in just an hour and 39 minutes. It was Alcaraz's 19th consecutive win at the All England Club and 23rd in a row overall, and Norrie said: 'It was a good experience to play probably the best player in the world at the moment, most confident player, on his best surface. The quest for a third consecutive #Wimbledon title continues — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2025 'I think he is the favourite, for sure. His level was unreal. I felt like a lot of the time, if I didn't do enough with the ball, he was going to punish me with a lot of his different options, with power. He's got the drop (shot) as well available. 'So I think I was missing a little bit more because I was pressing a bit more than usual, but I think that's credit to him – his physicality, his movement and power.' It has nevertheless been an excellent fortnight for the 29-year-old, who almost dropped out of the top 100 earlier this season three years after reaching the semi-finals here and has shown he can be a factor again. Norrie will climb back to around 43 in the rankings following the tournament and, having been out for three months last summer with an arm injury, missing the US Open, he has a good opportunity to make further significant gains. Cameron Norrie waved goodbye to Wimbledon (Mike Egerton/PA) He was particularly proud of his fourth-round win over Nicolas Jarry, having withstood the Chilean's comeback to triumph in five sets, and he said: 'I think it's all kind of coming together. 'I told you guys that I was hitting the ball well all year. I wanted it to happen. I think actually winning the matches and actually going through these experiences, you can take so much confidence from this. 'I want to just continue to play with confidence. I feel like I've been through a lot of tough moments in this week and a half and a lot of different kind of players and being the favourite, being the underdog in different scenarios. I think I've tested myself in all different aspects of the game, which is huge. 'I really feel like I'm enjoying my tennis a lot. I think that's most important.' Carlos Alcaraz slides into a forehand (Mike Egerton/PA) Norrie's progress meant he finally had to move from his favoured Court One on to the main stage, where he had lost four of his five previous matches, including against Alexander Zverev last year and Novak Djokovic in the last four in 2022. Against Djokovic he had taken the first set to conjure dreams of a home finalist but here, with Lord of the Rings actor Sir Ian McKellen watching from the first row of the Royal Box, the wizardry came from Alcaraz. Once the Spaniard had saved four break points in the second game, he reeled off five in a row, and Norrie never got close to him again. Alcaraz served brilliantly whenever his opponent had the sniff of an opportunity and eased through to a semi-final clash with American fifth seed Taylor Fritz on Friday. The 22-year-old was delighted with his performance, saying: 'Today was a great, great match. I think the best match so far in the tournament. Just really happy to see myself keep going, keep improving after every match, each day.' Alcaraz now has two days to prepare for his clash with Fritz, but his first priority is to try to set up a round of golf with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, who was at the All England Club on Tuesday. 'There are some videos of him playing golf,' said Alcaraz. 'I would say he could beat me. But I would love to play against him. For me it would be such an honour. Let's see if he will be available, and we'll tee it up.'
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Aryna Sabalenka was ready to book tickets home before quarter-final comeback
The runaway world number one and three-time grand slam champion had not dropped a set on her way to the quarter-finals. But then she came up against 37-year-old Laura Siegemund, the world number 104 from Germany who had never previously been beyond the second round. And Siegemund almost produced one of the all-time Centre Court upsets after taking the first set and then twice leading by a break in the decider. Sabalenka was a set behind a a break down in the third (Ben Whitley/PA) 'She pushed me so much,' said Sabalenka. 'After the first set I was looking at my box and thinking, 'book the tickets, we are about to leave this beautiful place'.' When Siegemund, a former US Open doubles champion who has rarely caused a ripple in singles, broke for 4-3 in the decider she was two games from reaching the semi-finals. But Sabalenka broke straight back and then let out an almighty roar after sealing a 4-6 6-2 6-4 victory with a smash. Siegemund is a master of the darker arts of tennis and regularly kept Sabalenka waiting to serve. The world number one hit back to reach the semi-finals (Ben Whitley/PA) But the 27-year-old from Belarus kept her cool – even if she had a face like thunder while standing idly at the baseline. 'I think I was really well-prepared for her game, for the way she's taking time and everything,' she added. 'But of course, inside I was struggling because she was playing a really smart game. At the beginning I was missing a lot. I felt like I was rushing. 'So I'm really glad that after the first set, I was able to kind of like reset a little bit and change my tactic a little bit and get the win. Siegemund had never previously been past round two (Ben Whitley/PA) 'But about her game, I wasn't really annoyed. What can I do? It was great play, smart play.' Sabalenka said she was determined not to repeat the mistake she made during her acrimonious French Open final defeat by Coco Gauff last month. 'Honestly, I think there's a big possibility that I would have lost this match if I didn't learn that lesson at the French Open,' she said. 'In some moments I was just keep reminding myself – which it's probably a little bit crazy – 'come on, it's the quarter-final of Wimbledon, you cannot give up, you cannot let the emotions just take over you and lose another match.' Sabalenka's 10th semi-final from the last 11 grand slams will be against American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova, who beat Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 7-6 (9). Anisimova was joined on court afterwards by her nephew Jaxon, who will celebrate his fourth birthday on Thursday, the day of the match. 'My nephew has never seen a match of mine in my life, so it was super special,' she said. 'Especially for the first time to be here at Wimbledon, and to get the win also on top of that is just an incredible experience. 'I feel like everything has been kind of clicking for me, and I've been feeling more and more confident with each tournament I've played this year. 'So I feel like my confidence is pretty high. On top of that, I'm just enjoying every moment.'
