The All England Club will press on with plans to expand the Wimbledon venue through its largest ever project - despite the immense opposition to the plan from locals who expressed dismay at an open public meeting.
Senior officials from the All England Club defended the scheme at a meeting called by Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond on Wednesday night.
The meeting saw a collection of local organisations and residents speak out against the project illuminating its negative impact - including the size of the new show court and the closure of the main road during the tournament.
Speaking to All England Club Chairman Ian Hewitt and Chief Executive Sally Bolton, Wandsworth Conservative Salvatore Murtas said: “People don't see it as being a good neighbour.
"I would suggest that if you want to be seen as a good neighbour you start showing some respect to the local community.”
In another blow to the project, there could be another delay with the possibility that local councils will not fully consider the application until after the May elections. The 2022 Wimbledon Championships will run from 27 June to 10 July.
Bolton insisted there would be no change to the plans, which include 38 new courts being built on the neighbouring golf course.
Hewitt also believes a major reason behind the development was that Wimbledon had fallen behind the other Slams in Melbourne, Pairs and New York in three key areas: player practice facilities, its qualifying event and the stature of its third show court.
“In each of these we are ranked worst among the Grand Slams, we must improve them,” Hewitt claimed.
One particular concern shared among locals was the closure of a road which goes through the expanded site. The All England Club claimed that putting a tunnel beneath it was not possible due to the 'scarring' it would cause either side.
The officials were accused of being ‘Alice In Wonderland’ if the group thought the construction of a stadium with a 28 metre height would improve views.
Wimbledon representatives insisted the project brought notable upsides, including a 9.4 hectare public park, increased biodiversity and the millions set to be spent on de-silting Wimbledon Park’s famous lake.
Another aim of the tournament is to bring qualifying for The Championships ‘in house’ rather than played at Roehampton - but this will not happen before 2029.
The open meeting was held before a restricted audience of around 150, with many more watching online. Many locals are passively supportive of the project, which means the dispute is set to rumble on.
The Wandsworth and Merton Councils will consider the full planning application soon, although if this does not happen before May it will not take place until the summer.
