AELTC expansion plans ‘just not tennis’

Plans to expand the Wimbledon tennis club to more than double its current size are too much.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which owns and runs Wimbledon, submitted plans in 2021 to build 38 new courts and a new 8,000 seat stadium in a part of Wimbledon Park it bought in 1993. 

But those plans have been going around in circles ever since because when it bought the parkland, the AELTC promised in a contract that it wouldn’t develop it. 

Locals are also upset at the size and scale of the plans, which will destroy much of the historic parkland, cut down dozens of trees and displace wildlife. 

The AELTC has - so far - refused to change its plans and has been accused of using expensive PR professionals to push past local concerns, creating more annoyance. 

Both local MPs are opposed to the plans but the two local councils of Wandsworth and Merton - whose permission is needed to move ahead - keep delaying the decision.

What needs to happen

Plans to expand Wimbledon’s playing space have been caught up in bureaucracy and local politics on one hand, and a failure to uphold its agreement or listen to those who live in the area on the other. It’s just not tennis!

The Wandsworth Lib Dems solution? Old-fashioned negotiation. Locals love Wimbledon but they don’t love being taken advantage of.

First step: the AELTC needs to acknowledge the covenant it signed and be open to talks.