Clapham Junction Insider | 18 February 2025 | Cyril Richert
Wimbledon park: Green flag for High Court proceedings triggered by resident’s group
"Save Wimbledon Park formally launched a judicial review in January 2025, challenging the GLA’s approval of the expansion and citing a statutory public recreation trust and a 1993 restrictive covenant. The High Court has now allowed the case to proceed on all three legal grounds.
In September 2024, London’s Deputy Mayor for Planning, Jules Pipe, overturned Wandsworth Council’s refusal to allow the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) to expand into Wimbledon Park. The controversial plan—already approved by Merton Council—includes a new 8,000-seat stadium, 38 additional grass courts, multiple buildings, and roadways, effectively tripling the Tennis Club’s footprint.
Despite AELTC’s assurances of public benefits, including limited free access to some courts and parkland, critics pointed to covenants and legal protections on the land, as well as environmental and heritage concerns, branding the proposal both “inappropriate” and potentially illegal."