Wimbledon’s expansion plans heading for court of appeal after judge’s ruling

Wimbledon’s battle to build 39 new grass courts on a nearby golf course has taken a fresh twist after local residents were granted permission to take a judicial review case to the court of appeal.

Last year the All England Club (AELTC) was given approval by Jules Pipe, the London deputy mayor for planning and regeneration, to build the courts on what used to be Wimbledon Park Golf Club – a decision that was then endorsed in the high court on 21 July. However, the Save Wimbledon Park pressure group challenged that verdict and on Monday it was announced that Lord Justice Holgate had granted a judicial review of the court’s decision.

Explaining the reasons for granting the order, Holgate wrote that: “The grounds of appeal are arguable with a real prospect of success. The case law on scheme benefits, deliverability, relevance, material considerations and irrationality merits review.”

SWP maintains that the expansion plans will create a “tennis industrial complex”, which will damage the environment and has failed to properly listen to the community. It is also fighting its legal battle with the All England Club on two other fronts, including a separate court case in January, where a judge will consider the possibility that the golf course could be subject to a “statutory trust” and thus be reserved for public recreation.

It is also considering whether to go to court to challenge a “restrictive covenant” given by the AELTC committee in 1993 in which it promised never to develop the land.

“This is a David and Goliath struggle,” Save Wimbledon Park said in a statement. “The AELTC is a rich and well-connected corporate developer which has worked for decades to take over a substantial part of this highly protected public Park for its own purposes.”

Christopher Coombe, a local lawyer who opposes the plans, added: “SWP has never been anti-tennis. We believe that it is high time for the AELTC to recognise the raft of legal and principled problems with its proposals and sit down and talk constructively with SWP and the local community.”

However, the All England Club remains confident that its expansion plans, which would triple the size of its grounds, will go ahead despite this latest stumbling block. In a statement, a spokesperson said: “We are confident that the court of appeal will ultimately judge that the high court made the correct decision in upholding the Greater London Authority’s grant of planning permission for a development that will enable us to deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Our plans will create a permanent home for the Wimbledon qualifying competition but crucially they also deliver 27 acres of beautiful new parkland for local people to enjoy, providing the public access to green space that has been used as a private members golf club for more than 100 years.”