Wimbledon’s site expansion has hit yet another obstacle, with the application now set to be heard in April by the planning committees of Merton and Wandsworth Councils.
However, local opposition to the plan is expected to cause further delays, with the London Mayor’s office or Whitehall’s Planning Inspectorate likely to call for a public inquiry that could take at least eighteen months to complete.
With the latest hearing scheduled for April 26, both sides are ramping up their arguments.
All-England Lawn and Tennis Club (AELTC) representatives have been stopping passers-by on nearby streets to ask them to sign pre-prepared letters of support for the scheme, which includes a large new park open to the public and other enhancements to the Capability Brown-designed land.
However, a coalition of residents’ associations and environmental lobby groups are opposing the plan in its current form, arguing that no permanent structures should be allowed on what is Metropolitan Open land.
A petition has collected over 8,500 and two residents’ associations have given detailed submissions to the councils.
Despite the opposition, the AELTC is keen to emphasise that the expansion is onto an area that was formerly a private golf course and did not have any community access.
They point out that the finish will be high quality and that the plans include a park open to the public.
