Wimbledon Park Project: SW19 residents voice concerns over AELTC plans to develop popular London green space

Wimbledon has been home to one of the most recognisable and popular sporting events in the world since 1877.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) plays host to these famous courts that attract around half a million people each year to SW19 over a fortnight.

The club is determined to bring more visitors to the Championships each year and has plans to build 38 new courts on top of a brand new 8,000 capacity show court.

Wimbledon want to be the "pinnacle of tennis" according to AELTC Head of Estate Development, Justin Smith.

Residents in areas including Wimbledon and nearby Southfields have welcomed spectators for several years with open arms, even hosting players in their own homes - but for many of them, this is a step too far.

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Societies and Residents Associations in the area have teamed up together to object, claiming they represent over 10,000 households.

This video is set to the background of where the AELTC development is planned and discusses the main concerns that residents have.

One group has been around since 1903 - The Wimbledon Society. They are volunteer-led and aim to preserve and protect the town from urban development.

Chair of the society’s planning and environment committee Chris Goodair believes the application is "fundamentally flawed."

He said: “The AELTCs plans are a threat to this Heritage Asset.”  

Wimbledon Park lies opposite the current stadium and was created by 18th century designer Capability Brown.

The park falls between two councils, Merton and Wansdworth, with the former owning the public park - a green space Friends of Wimbledon Park chair Dr Nick Steiner says the residents relied on more than ever during the Covid-19 lockdown.

However, within the park is the Wimbledon Park Golf Course, which the AELTC bought off Merton Council in 1993.

Justin Smith has been with the AELTC for eight years. Discussing the original reason for purchase he said: “The eye was to the future expansion of tennis so it was very obvious to have that piece of land. Exactly the purpose of it? I don't think anyone knew.”

Labour Assembly Member Leonie Cooper, who represents both Merton and Wandsworth, said:“It’s clear that local people remain concerned about the All England Tennis Club’s plans and I believe they need to do more to consult and explain them.” 

The AELTC have submitted their plans to both Merton and Wandsworth councils and await to hear the outcome.

A Wandsworth council spokesperson said: “As the application site straddles the borough boundary with parts of it in both Wandsworth and Merton, identical planning applications have been submitted to both boroughs.

“We will take on board all the comments we receive from members of the public as part of the statutory consultation process when our planning committee meets to consider its decision.”

As of now, Wandsworth Council has received 532 objections with 16 comments of support, while Merton has seen 706 objections and 19 supporting comments, reaching a total of 1,230 objections all together.

The Gardens Residents Association is one group objecting to these plans and member Stuart Mathieson claims there has been "desecration, dirt and disruption" for a long time.

Covenant and consultation

When Merton Council sold the land to the AELTC, promises were made to protect the area for the future. 

Christopher Coombe, a member of Wimbledon Park Residents Association, explains: “Merton sold the golf course to the All England in 1993 in the teeth of considerable local opposition...”

“The All England Club promised the same, in a binding covenant with Merton. Merton must enforce it, unless both parties think promises are not worth the paper they are written on.”

However, a spokesperson for Merton Council said: “A legal covenant is not a material planning consideration in a  planning application assessment.”

AELTC developer Smith said he could not go into great detail about the covenant because it is not part of the application.

He said: “Other permissions, ownership, anything like that [the covenant] is not part of the planning application process.

“We've got a red line that says these are our aspirations, this is what we would like to do but parts of that will need other types of agreements and arrangements in place.”

The show court or ‘stadium’ - as some protesters describe it -  is the primary concern along with a considerable amount of courts being dotted around the site.

SW19 protesters believe that there has been a lack of communication between residents and the AELTC.

Susan Cusack, member of the Umbrella Group representing several Wimbledon residents' associations, said: “The AELTC said that they have consulted with the local residents. What we have had are briefings.

“We had a first briefing back in March which said that they were going to build 20 courts. Everybody was happy with that because that was bringing the qualifiers home which is what they said they were going to do.”

Justin Smith refuted these claims, explaining that the initial plan was always 38 courts.

He also mentioned that he has spoken to "hundreds and hundreds of people" while residents have been invited to on-site exhibitions and walks round the golf course.

He said: “Those who are really excited tend to be a bit quieter. Those who are more concerned about things tend to be a little bit noisier.”

Cusack said the people were left "disappointed" though.

She claims: “After all those consultations, the planning application that went in, it did not change.

"They didn't reduce the number of courts or the size of the stadium. The people were left rather disappointed.”

Pippa Maslin, Green Party member, said:“I urge the AELTC to rethink their plans - to show much greater sensitivity to the heritage and residents of the area.”

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If this project was being discussed 25 years ago, the environmental impact of a development may well have been just a minute detail.

In 2021, it takes centre court.

The Merton Green Party objected to the plans and raised concerns about carbon emissions during the development phase and the reduction in carbon capturing trees and green spaces. 

Pippa Maslin said: “In 2019, I started the petition that resulted in Merton Council declaring a climate emergency and agreeing upon net zero pledges for the Council and the borough.

“I worry deeply that many aspects of the AELTC proposal run contrary to the council's declaration and pledge to Merton, but that the Wimbledon Championships is such a powerful body that the Council will roll over and let them have their way.”

A grass tennis court complex might not sound that harmful when first thought of but hiding away beneath the surface lies concrete foundations.

Stuart Mathieson said: “Thousands of tonnes of concrete poured over historic parkland. It's not so green after all is it?”

Residents' claim they have worked out from AELTC figures that 7,000 tonnes of concrete will be needed to develop the courts.

Smith acknowledged the size of the project but suggested there would be off-site construction in Lincolnshire to help limit noise, waste and disruption in Wimbledon.

He described how each court has concrete ring beams which act as heavy weights to protect the courts from rain.

He said: “We can't pretend there isn't 38 ring beams. But in terms of the overall area of grassland, it's really quite tiny.”

London has fallen victim to constant development and the London Mayor has identified the deficiency of green spaces as a key issue as they are put at risk each day.

Despite this, roughly 47% of London is "green", according to Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC, 2019 mainly thanks to its Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) and green belt regulations.

MOL is London-specific and is essentially urban green belt. It accounts for almost 10% of Greater London. 

The graph below illustrates the amount of MOL or urban green belt that makes up each of the outer boroughs of London, with Merton in the bottom half.

SW19 residents cannot grasp why Wimbledon Park Golf Course is being developed, considering it holds MOL status. 

Cusack said: “Building on MOL has implications for the whole country because it is urban green belt - it's extremely important to all of us.”

Mehmood Naqshbandi, also a member of Merton Green Party said: “We reminded the council that it had declared a climate emergency.

“Metropolitan Open Land should only be built on for exceptional reasons.”

Smith explained that MOL status does not mean the land cannot be developed but you have to prove "very special circumstances" and the club feel they are giving back to the area and the community.

He said: “Our proposal here is to maintain the green space that otherwise might be at risk.”

He agreed that this could risk many MOL spaces being taken if developers can get round them but explained that the AELTC are going to be there for a long-time and look after the space.

They want to make the currently private section of the park publicly accessible all year and restore it back to its natural self.

He said: “The only thing that really sits outside of the MOL [regulations] is a stadium, but it's not a massive stadium so it's not really encroaching.”

Merton Council insist the projects impact on the evironment would be taken into account. A spokesperson said: “The assessment of impacts of the proposal would be covered in any Planning Officers Report.”

Smith also added that the AELTC have their own targets, including being carbon zero by 2030 and see over a 10% rise in biodiversity.