logo
Wimbledon expansion plan goes into legal tie-break

Wimbledon expansion plan goes into legal tie-break

Straits Timesa day ago
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 4, 2025 General view during the third round match between Australia's Jordan Thompson and Italy's Luciano Darderi REUTERS/Toby Melville TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
LONDON - Wimbledon fans will have eyes only for the tennis this week but for those who run the world's oldest and most prestigious Grand Slam, the real high-stakes contest will unfold not on their grass, but in London's Royal Courts of Justice.
On one side of the legal net is the campaign group Save Wimbledon Park, while facing them in a judicial review of their ambitious expansion plan on Tuesday and Wednesday will be the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC).
It is the latest stage of a long-running fight that has split the south-west London "village", which has been home to the Championships since 1877.
Last September the AELTC secured planning permission from the Greater London Authority (GLA) to treble the size of the main site to include 39 new courts including an 8,000-seat show court by redeveloping a former golf course on parkland land it already owns.
The 200-million-pound ($272.92-million) expansion aims to increase daily capacity to 50,000 people from the current 42,000, upgrade facilities and move the qualifying rounds on site to mirror the Australian, French, and U.S. Opens.
The plans have the backing of several leading players, including Novak Djokovic, and 62% of 10,000 residents in Merton and Wandsworth, the London boroughs that share the new site, also support the scheme, according to the AELTC.
'Our confidence in the development and the proposals that we've been working on for many years is as strong as it ever has been,' Wimbledon tournament director Jamie Baker told Reuters.
'For the championships to continue to be in the position that it is and to deliver all the benefits to stakeholders including the local community it is vital that we are able to stage the tournament on one site and bring all the grounds together."
However, this week's judicial review will decide whether the GLA's decision to grant planning permission was unlawful.
Opponents of the development, including Thelma Ruby, a 100-year-old former actress who lives in a flat overlooking the park, and West Hill Ward Councillor Malcolm Grimston, say the club's plans will cause environmental damage and major disruption to the area.
'It's terribly important that it does not go ahead not just for myself but for the whole planet and future generations," Ruby told Reuters.
"I overlook this beautiful landscape and there are all sorts of covenants that say you mustn't build on it, and yet the tennis people have this unnecessary plan they admit will cut down all these glorious trees, which will harm wildlife.
'They're using concrete, building roads, they're going to have lorries polluting and passing my window every 10 minutes. The whole area will be in chaos as they're closing off roads,' she said.
Save Wimbledon Park says the GLA failed to consider covenants that were agreed by the AELTC, including restrictions on redeveloping the land, when it bought the Wimbledon Park golf course freehold from Merton council in 1993 for 5.2 million pounds.
The AELTC paid a reported 63.5 million pounds to buy the Golf Club's lease, which was due to run until 2041.
The campaign group also believes the GLA failed to consider the land's statutory Public Recreation Trust status which means it should be held as "public walks or pleasure grounds".
'It is not antipathy towards the AELTC that's driving this, as some of the benefits are real, such as the extension of lake,' councillor Grimston told Reuters.
'The problem is that it will treble the footprint of the current Championship and turn what currently has very much a feel of being rural England and a gentle pace of life into an industrial complex that would dominate the views of the lake.
'That's why it's classified as Metropolitan Open Land, which is the urban equivalent of the green belt that has been protected for many decades in planning law in the UK and rightly so,' he said.
The AELTC say the plans will improve the biodiversity of the park, as well as bringing parts of it back into public use.
'The London Wildlife trust have endorsed the plans, they've spent many hours scrutinising our analysis and our expert views," the AELTC's head of corporate affairs Dominic Foster said.
"We know that this expansion will deliver a very significant benefit to biodiversity, whereas golf courses are not good for biodiversity.' REUTERS
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Australia's Albanese confirms China visit as Beijing eyes trade deal review
Australia's Albanese confirms China visit as Beijing eyes trade deal review

Straits Times

time13 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Australia's Albanese confirms China visit as Beijing eyes trade deal review

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at a Labor party election night event, after local media projected the Labor Party's victory, on the day of the Australian federal election, in Sydney, Australia, May 3, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File photo SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that he would visit China from this weekend as Beijing looks to build on partnerships on AI, green energy and the digital economy. "I look forward to going to Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, which I will visit from Saturday," Albanese told reporters in Hobart. He did not give more details about his trip. This would be Albanese's second visit to China as prime minister, after his re-election in May. Albanese's first visit to Beijing as Prime Minister in 2023 broke a seven-year freeze in diplomatic ties, and he emphasised the need for communication with China, despite differences between the two trading partners. Albanese's trip comes as China, its largest trading partner, suggested a review of the 10-year-old free trade agreement between the two countries to boost ties in agriculture and mining, and explore growth areas in new technologies. "We are willing to review the agreement with a more open attitude and higher standard," Xiao Qian, the Chinese ambassador to Australia, wrote in The Australian Financial Review on Monday. When asked if Australia would look to expand the free trade deal with China to include AI, Albanese said: "We will determine our policy." REUTERS

No end to Swiatek's new-found love of Wimbledon's green, green grass
No end to Swiatek's new-found love of Wimbledon's green, green grass

Straits Times

time4 hours ago

  • Straits Times

No end to Swiatek's new-found love of Wimbledon's green, green grass

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 7, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during her round of 16 match against Denmark's Clara Tauson REUTERS/Isabel Infantes LONDON - Before this year, there was no love lost between Iga Swiatek and the grass courts of Wimbledon. So what if it was called the spiritual home of lawn tennis? So what if it was the tournament that tennis greats such as Martina Navratilova, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic picked out as the one they always wanted to win above any other? She may not have uttered the words "grass is for cows", as Ivan Lendl once did when he opted to skip the tournament to go on holiday, but Swiatek seemed to share that sentiment as Wimbledon was never a happy hunting ground for her. The five-times Grand Slam champion always looked like she could not wait to escape the leafy confines of the All England Club during her five previous visits, which often followed her run to the French Open title. It was the only major where she had failed to reach at least the last four and there was little evidence that she had the desire to improve that record -- until this year. On Monday, the Polish eighth seed found her grasscourt wings to fly into the Wimbledon quarter-finals with a soaring 6-4 6-1 victory over Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump announces 25% tariffs on goods from Japan, South Korea in letters to leaders Business US stocks knocked lower by tariff jitters; Musk's political plan hits Tesla Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore About 20 delivery riders meet Pritam Singh to discuss platform worker issues "It's pretty amazing, this is the first time ever I've enjoyed London," she told the crowd who started laughing. "Sorry guys, I mean I've always enjoyed it. I feel good on the court when I feel good off the court." That feelgood factor was missing during her opening two service games with Danish 23rd seed Tauson on Monday as Swiatek kept misfiring her serve. Cries of "ohh" rang around Court One as she opened her account with two double faults en route to dropping her serve to love. When she produced another two successive double faults to drop her serve again in the third game the gasps grew louder and Tauson must have thought it was game on for her to knock out another Grand Slam champion following her success over 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina two days ago. But from 3-1 down in the first set, and fuelled by her favourite Wimbledon diet of pasta tossed with strawberries and yoghurt, Swiatek sprinted away with eight of the last nine games. After extending her perfect record against Danish opponents to 4-0, she delved deeper into what had clicked for her on grass. "I felt this year that I could really develop as a player. I'm doing the job no matter what the results are going to be," said the Pole, who will next face Russian Liudmila Samsonova. "I feel like I'm doing a great job at just learning how to play on grass. First time I feel, like, more comfortable. I feel like the process has some kind of logic. "It's tough when the expectations are high and people talk to you like you're underperforming. I guess this year is just different." The transition from the clay to grass has not been easy for Swiatek, who has had to get out of her comfort zone to come up with a winning formula. While she has mastered the art of sliding across clay, tennis's slowest surface, in order to conjure up shots that are beyond the capability of most of her rivals, she has had to abandon that manoeuvre on the slicker turf courts. "I've been watching Carlos (Alcaraz) a little bit and Novak (Djokovic). I see them slide (on grass). Obviously it's possible but you just need to kind of trust it," she said. "Since I never played so many matches on grass as this year, I've never had time to really trust it." But at least she now has faith that she can do well on grass, especially as she has a great chance to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time considering she has a 4-0 record over Samsonova. Just in case any doubts lingered about Swiatek's chances of finally lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish come Saturday, Tauson said: "She's probably impossible to beat." REUTERS

Sinner gets out of jail to reach last eight as Dimitrov retires at Wimbledon
Sinner gets out of jail to reach last eight as Dimitrov retires at Wimbledon

Straits Times

time4 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Sinner gets out of jail to reach last eight as Dimitrov retires at Wimbledon

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON - Top seed Jannik Sinner struggled with an elbow problem and was given an almighty scare before advancing to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon after a cruel twist of fate for his 19th-seeded opponent Grigor Dimitrov who retired injured while two sets up. Novak Djokovic continued his quest for Grand Slam glory at the All England Club with a battling victory over Alex de Minaur while five-times major champion Iga Swiatek found her grasscourt wings to fly past Clara Tauson. The drama was reserved for the evening clash on Centre Court as Dimitrov, who had pulled out injured in his last four majors, played exquisite tennis to go up 6-3 7-5 2-2 but then crashed to the ground after a big ace to hold serve. Sinner, who had been hampered for much of the contest by a right elbow issue after slipping and falling to the turf early on, was left feeling sorry for his opponent who threw in the towel after a short assessment by a doctor. "I don't know what to say because he's an incredible player. I think we all saw this today," said Sinner, who was by a tearful Dimitrov's side while the Bulgarian was attended to. "He's been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He's an incredible player, a good friend of mine also, and we understand each other very well off the court too. "Seeing him in this position... if there would be a chance that he could play in the next round, he would deserve it. Now I hope he has a speedy recovery. Very, very unlucky from his side. "I don't take this as a win at all... just an unfortunate moment to witness for all of us." Sinner next faces American 10th seed Ben Shelton, who beat another Italian in Lorenzo Sonego 3-6 6-1 7-6(1) 7-5 to advance to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the first time, as did Flavio Cobolli, who downed Marin Cilic 6-4 6-4 6-7(4) 7-6(3). ROCKY ROAD Djokovic marched into the Wimbledon last eight for the 16th time but the Serbian trod a rocky road before defeating De Minaur 1-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 to keep alive his quest for a 25th major title to surpass Margaret Court. Watched from the Royal Box by another great in Roger Federer, the man whose record eight All England Club trophies Djokovic is trying to equal, the sixth seed surrendered the first set in 31 minutes before roaring back to win. "We did catch up very shortly," Djokovic said of his meeting with Federer afterwards. "We greeted each other. He congratulated me and said it was a great match. That's all. It was a very short greeting, but it was really nice to have him around. "He's one of the greatest legends of our game. So it always is extra special when he's on the stands. I'm glad to break the curse and win in front of him. It's a big relief." Federer's fellow Swiss and former doubles partner Belinda Bencic made her first Wimbledon quarter-final in nine attempts after dismissing 18th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(4) 6-4 in a little under two hours on a breezy Court One. The 28-year-old Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion shed tears of joy after she finally broke the fourth-round barrier 15 months since giving birth to her daughter Bella and she said she was surprised at her high level. "I'm really happy about it. Of course, I try not to think about it. I feel great on the practice court. When I was coming back, that's why I felt like I came back earlier than expected, than I expected for myself," Bencic said. "I'm also surprised about how fast the results are coming." She will need all her battling qualities when she takes on seventh seed Mirra Andreeva, the Russian teenager who made short work of American 10th seed Emma Navarro 6-2 6-3 on her Centre Court debut with her idol Federer still in attendance. Swiatek shrugged off a slow start to beat Danish 23rd seed Tauson 6-4 6-1 and set up a meeting with Liudmila Samsonova, who saw off Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5 7-5. REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store