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Plans to expand the site of the Wimbledon tennis championships cleared a legal hurdle on Monday after the High Court in London dismissed a challenge against the development.
Campaigners took legal action against the Mayor of London’s decision to approve planning permission for proposals by the body that runs Wimbledon to build 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000 seat stadium on nearby land.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which runs the oldest Grand Slam in tennis, regards the expansion of its grounds as key to safeguarding its future. Wimbledon can accommodate just over 500,000 visitors during the two-week tournament, far less than both the Australian and US Open.
A larger venue would allow the club to bring qualifying rounds to Wimbledon, in effect extending the tournament by several days, and increase daily capacity by almost 20 per cent to 50,000.
The AELTC would also build a new 23-acre public park on land previously occupied by a golf club, which it bought in 2018 for £65mn, as well as other community facilities. It has raised £200mn for the developments.
Mr Justice Saini found the Mayor of London’s decision to approve planning permission for the expansion of the Wimbledon tennis championships’ site to be lawful and rational © Chris Gorma/Getty Images
However, the plans have sparked fierce opposition from local residents.
Campaign group Save Wimbledon Park brought the judicial review describing the proposals as akin to building a “industrial tennis complex”. It warned of years of disruptive construction work that would deliver too little for the area.
In a ruling on Monday, Mr Justice Saini described the development as “highly controversial” but found the mayor’s decision to approve planning permission to be lawful and rational.
AELTC chair Deborah Jevans said she was “delighted” by the verdict. “The vast majority of people just want us to get on and deliver the many benefits on offer as soon as possible,” she said in a statement.
However, Saini’s decision does not resolve a dispute about the legal status of the land on which the club plans to expand, which is due to be heard in January.
Both of Wimbledon Park’s two local MPs — Labour’s Fleur Anderson and Liberal Democrat Paul Kohler — oppose the development.
The latest legal challenge was launched after the AELTC’s plans were given the go-ahead by the Mayor of London’s office last summer.
The project was previously approved by Merton council but rejected by neighbouring Wandsworth. The two local authorities share responsibility for Wimbledon Park.