Wimbledon Overcomes Legal Obstacle in its Expansion
Wimbledon’s plans to expand its facilities, home to the world’s oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament, overcame their first legal challenge on Monday. The High Court in London rejected the challenge to the project filed by a group of activists.
The Save Wimbledon Park group had filed a lawsuit against the construction permit granted to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC). The club seeks to triple the size of its main headquarters in a project valued at 200 million pounds sterling (approximately 269.6 million dollars).
The expansion would include 39 new courts, a show court with a capacity of 8,000 spectators, and an increase in daily capacity to 50,000 people. In addition, it would allow qualifying rounds to be held on the site that has been the home of the championship since 1877.The daily capacity of Wimbledon could increase by 8,000 people if the expansion is completed.
The AELTC’s plans to remodel a former golf course on its property are supported by several prominent players, including Novak Djokovic, and some local residents.
The construction permit was approved by the Greater London Authority last year, but Save Wimbledon Park argued at a hearing this month that the GLA did not adequately take into account the restrictions on the redevelopment of the land, agreed when the AELTC’s parent company bought the golf course property in 1993.
Judge Pushpinder Saini rejected Save Wimbledon Park’s challenge to the legality of the building permit, but Wimbledon’s plans still face another legal battle regarding the status of the land, which will be heard early next year.
