Hundreds match to Royal Court, protesting Wimbledon's expansion plans
In his submission to the court, Wimbledon's counsel Russell Harris detailed how the All England Club remains confident its proposals should be approved. 'The planning permissions permitted the expansion of the Wimbledon Championships site on to Wimbledon Park Golf Course, including the introduction of new tennis courts, tennis-related infrastructure and new buildings to enable the hosting of the Wimbledon qualifying event and to improve the functioning and operation of the Championships,' Mr Harris wrote.
But Sasha White, representing the local residents and Save Wimbledon Plan ground, told the hearing that 'you could not have a more protected piece of land in London.' The SWP contends that Wimbledon Park, a Grade II-listed heritage site, is subject to similar protections as the green belt or royal parks. Allowing development on the site would set a 'dangerous precedent'.
Among the protestors was famous writer and comedian Andy Hamilton. He told PA News Agency: They are going to decimate the park, at huge cost to the local environment and the local community. It's just absurd, the scale of it, and really they float lots of spurious reasons why are they doing it. The real reason is the club just wants to triple the size of the current Wimbledon tennis estate so that they can bring in more visitors and make a very rich private members club even richer.'
The London deputy mayor had given the go-ahead last, siting that the the proposals 'would facilitate very significant benefits' which 'clearly outweigh the harm'. According to an All England Club spokesperson the PA quoted, they 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,' he said.
But SWP and Hamilton are far from convinced. 'They are going to make everyone's lives a misery basically, for 10 years. They say 'we need it to stay at the pinnacle of world tennis'. That is nonsense. They are at the pinnacle, their place is assured, and the other argument is we don't want the embarrassment of the qualifiers being off-site anymore,' he said.
The hearing is due to conclude on Wednesday, with a judgment expected in writing at a later date.
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