The caution was evident in an All England Club email to its members. By no means was this a triumphant piece of correspondence about the approval received from Merton council in the early hours for the largest expansion in Wimbledon history.
“This is very positive news after what has been a long process, but it is just one step on the journey until we are able to begin to build on the site,” Debbie Jevans, the All England Club chairwoman, wrote in the email seen by The Times.
The first hurdle of “one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since the 2012 Olympics” — the words of the club’s chief executive, Sally Bolton — has been cleared but several more will follow. Almost certainly, the completion of 39 new grass courts, including an 8,000-seater stadium, on the old Wimbledon Park Golf Club will not come before the 2030s.
No doubt there is much relief within the corridors of power at SW19 that Merton’s planning committee voted by a narrow majority of 6-4 in favour of the plans. A large attendance of club officials at Thursday night’s meeting, including two former chairmen, showed how significant a moment this was for the future of Wimbledon and there was some uneasy head-shaking as representatives of the opposition put forward their arguments.
Noticeably, though, the club was well prepared for the various lines of enquiry that came during close to five hours of deliberations. So much so that it had brought along its own “tree expert”, who remained a quiet onlooker until suddenly being thrust into action about three hours into the hearing.
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Since these plans were first released more than two years ago, they have faced fierce opposition from local residents — 939 objections were submitted to Merton council, while a petition entitled “Save Wimbledon Park” received more than 13,000 signatures. Ultimately, however, a majority of councillors agreed with the verdict of Merton’s planning officers that the project had “substantial public benefits” despite acknowledgments of “physical harm” to the Metropolitan Open Land (space designated for special preservation).
Many residents may be sceptical about the club’s argument that this expansion is needed to avoid the “significant risk that Wimbledon will fall behind the other grand-slam events”. From my experience of attending all the majors every year, this is a reasonable claim by the club. The Australian Open, in particular, has grown at a remarkable rate over the past decade to construct unparalleled facilities for players and spectators, while it is far from ideal that Wimbledon qualifying is held three miles away at a pleasant but limited site in Roehampton.
Had Merton council refused the application, Wimbledon would have continued, but it would have struggled to retain its charm among players and spectators on an existing site that is already quite frankly bulging at the seams. The plans for new courts and facilities have been well-received within the tennis world.
The next step is finalising the associated section 106 agreements with Merton council, which legally secure the proposed benefits to the environment and local community. The Wandsworth council planning committee must also approve the plans in the coming weeks as part of the land sits in their administrative area.
The project would then be considered by the Mayor of London’s office, although it is likely that Sadiq Khan will delegate the decision to his deputy Jules Pipe, after he publicly praised the plans on Wimbledon’s online television channel in 2021. This would guard against any accusations of a conflict of interest.
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A review could also take place by the planning inspectorate at a national level, but there appears to be more concern within the club about the possibility of a legal challenge by the objectors. Jevans acknowledged in her email yesterday that a “judicial review” could be launched and a response to Merton’s decision by the Save Wimbledon group suggested they are up for a fight.
“This is just a stage in what will be a long process for which Save Wimbledon Park is well prepared,” Iain Simpson, the chair of the Wimbledon Park Residents’ Association, said.
