Deputy mayor Jules Pipe calls in controversial scheme to treble the size of championship鈥檚 grounds after Wandsworth rejection

Allies Morrisson Wimbledon 5

Overhead view of the proposed expansion, with the new courts on the right of the image

City Hall has thrown Allies & Morrison鈥檚 stalled Wimbledon expansion plans a lifeline by taking control of the decision on whether to approve them.

Deputy mayor Jules Pipe called in the controversial planning application at a mayor鈥檚 planning committee meeting yesterday afternoon.

The move follows Wandsworth council鈥檚 rejection of the proposals, the biggest expansion in the All England Lawn Tennis Club鈥檚 (AELTC) history, in November due to concerns over the use of metropolitan open land on the site.

A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: 鈥淭his is a major planning application, of London-wide significance.

鈥淭herefore, the deputy mayor has issued a direction under article 7 of the Town and Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order that he becomes the local planning authority for the purposes of determining the application. 

鈥淎 full planning hearing will be held in due course.鈥�

Just 10% of the scheme鈥檚 73-acre site is located in Wandsworth with the remaining 90% in Merton, which approved the plans in October, but consent from both councils was needed for the scheme to go ahead.

Following Wandsworth鈥檚 rejection, Merton referred the application to the Greater London Authority. Although the decision is officially under the remit of mayor of London Sadiq Khan, he has recused himself because he publicly expressed support for the plans in 2021.

Allies Morrisson Wimbledon 4

The proposals include an 8,000-seat show court

The scheme would treble the size of Wimbledon鈥檚 grounds, adding 38 new grass courts and an 8,000-seat show court on land east of the existing Centre Court and No.1 Court.

It would also allow the championships to stage qualifying rounds on its own grounds instead of at Roehampton. It is currently the only grand slam which is unable to host qualifying rounds on its own premises.

The AELTC has described the scheme as 鈥渙ne of the greatest sporting transformations for London since the 2012 Olympics鈥�.

Organisers of the championships have argued that the expansion is necessary to stop Wimbledon falling behind the three other grand-slam tournaments, the Australian, French and US opens

The club has promised to create a new 23-acre public park in the style of Capability Brown, the original designer of the grade II*-listed Wimbledon Park.

But Wandsworth planning officers said the plans constitute 鈥渋nappropriate development鈥� and would cause 鈥渟ubstantial harm to the openness鈥� of the metropolitan open land.

More than 16,000 people have signed a petition to 鈥渟ave Wimbledon Park鈥� and the two councils have received more than 2,000 objections to the scheme.

Topics