A decision by City Hall over Wimbledon’s ambitious expansion plans may not be reached until after this year’s Championships. Deputy Mayor of Planning, Jules Pipe, on Monday made the decision to call in the application, with a hearing set to make a ruling on the £200million facelift.
However, because of the complexity of the plans, legal arguments and the opposing decisions by both Merton and Wandsworth councils, it will take time to put everything in place to set a date for the hearing.
The mayoral election throws a further spanner into the works. Nothing will take place in the pre-election period from March 19 to election day on May 2, making it an impossibility the hearing will be held before then.
A date would then need to be agreed upon by whoever is elected. Current incumbent Sadiq Khan recused himself from the decision-making process last October because he previously expressed support for the expansion in 2021.
Any final decision could still be months off after that, with Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove potentially able to call in the decision himself. There could also be lengthy legal debate over the matter, meaning a decision could drag into 2025 should either side of the debate opt for legal recourse.
Wimbledon’s expansion plan involves the creation of 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seater show court on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course.
The proposal for the site, which spans the boroughs of both Merton and Wandsworth, has already split planners. Planning officials at Merton granted permission, while Wandsworth rejected it.
Pipe officially made the ruling to call in the application yesterday. A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “This a major planning application of London-wide significance. Therefore, the deputy mayor has issued a direction that he becomes the local planning authority for purposes of determining the application. A full planning hearing will be held in due course.”
Both sides of the debate reacted positively to the decision. The All England Club has long insisted its expansion is vital to “secure the long-term future of the championships”.
Following Pipe’s ruling, AELTC chair Debbie Jevans said: “We welcome today’s news that the Mayor of London’s office will determine our application.
“Our proposals will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since the 2012 Olympics. Protecting the future of the Championships, as well as significantly increasing publicly accessible green space, is a win-win for Londoners and will demonstrate beyond doubt that London is the sporting capital of the world.”
Despite the club insisting the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for the plans, 16,000 people have signed a petition against it, with a growing dissent group made up of residents, environmental groups and local MPs Stephen Hammond and Fleur Anderson.
Following Monday's decision, Anderson said: “The plans are bad for public access to green space, Londoner’s lungs and our environment. The GLA is a world-leading local authority when it comes to putting Londoners’ health and environment first. I hope that they will tell Wimbledon tennis they need to go back to the drawing board.”
Iain Simpson, chair of Save Wimbledon Park, said: “We are glad to see the GLA’s decision to review this application. We have been urging the AELTC to speak to us, their local communities. It is time for them to think again.
“Scale this project to meet national policies and their own promises and stop wasting money on an unwelcome and unnecessary project for a private members’ club.”
