Latest news with #MetropolitanOpenLand
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Wimbledon is a test case. It must be possible to build in Britain
For two weeks of the year, the eyes of the sporting world are focused on a corner of south-west London as tennis stars battle it out for the ultimate accolade of Wimbledon champion. Today the quarter-finals begin, with British player Cameron Norrie matched against the No 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz. Eight miles away at the Royal Courts of Justice another monumental tussle is unfolding over plans by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) to expand its territory from the cramped site it currently occupies. The plans are opposed by residents close to the ground, but have been approved by Merton Borough Council and the Greater London Authority. That should have been the end of the matter but a judicial review against approval has been brought by complainants. They maintain that a new 8,000-seater stadium and practice courts will affect the vistas across the Capability Brown-designed park, although the development will be mainly on an old golf course bought by the AELTC. The site is designated Metropolitan Open Land and afforded the same protection as green belt. The club needs to show 'very special circumstances' to override this and can do so by dint of the 'special and unique cultural, sporting and socio-economic interest' of the peerless championships. The facilities at Wimbledon have fallen behind those at the three other grand slam venues and the AELTC has been meticulous in drawing up its plans over many years. If approval is now to be overturned by the courts the chances of getting anything built in this country will recede further.
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Sadiq Khan considers concreting over London's golf courses
Sir Sadiq Khan is considering concreting over some of London's golf courses. The Mayor of London announced plans on Friday to use more of the capital's green spaces for housing. A consultation on the city's development strategy for the next two decades suggested some golf courses could be open for development. The document said golf courses that were 'not accessible to the wider public and have limited biodiversity value' could be considered for new housing. It suggested that such courses could be released from their protected designation as Metropolitan Open Land (MOL). 'The mayor will continue to give protection to MOL given its vital role for Londoners and providing a liveable city as London grows,' the document said. 'However, some areas of MOL, such as certain golf courses, are not accessible to the wider public and have limited biodiversity value. This undermines the purpose of the designation. 'These areas could be assessed to understand whether they should be released from MOL. 'They may be able to help to meet London's housing and accessible open space provision ... At the same time, they could improve biodiversity through landscape-led redevelopment. Clearly there are key issues to explore.' The move comes as part of a wider push by Sir Sadiq for parts of the green belt that are 'low-quality land, poorly maintained and rarely enjoyed by Londoners' to be used as housing. It represents an about-turn in his stance, having staunchly opposed green belt development in previous years in favour of construction on brownfield sites. However, the change of heart comes as he scrambles to hit his target of building 88,000 homes in the capital per year. His existing plan is only delivering about 40,000. The mayor said in a speech in Greenwich, south-east London, on Friday: 'Development on carefully chosen parts of the green belt – done in the right way – would allow us to unlock hundreds of thousands of good-quality new homes for Londoners. 'This would not only go a long way to ending the housing crisis but provide a huge boost to our economy.' An England Golf spokesman said: 'Analysis shows that a high percentage of golfers are reliant on the sport for their physical activity in comparison to other sports, especially in densely populated areas. 'Given where the typical council-owned golf facility is located, this means that for some people, these sites provide them with their only opportunity to remain active. 'England Golf will always work closely with local authorities when the loss of any golf provision is proposed and expect to be consulted throughout any planning process where golf is impacted. 'Utilising robust supply and demand assessments to understand both the mixture of provision and volume of play within a facility's catchment enables us to ensure that those which are needed remain protected, or that appropriate mitigation to compensate for loss is secured.'
