The Save Wimbledon Park campaign has spoken with optimism about their upcoming appeal against a High Court ruling that paves the way for Wimbledon’s expansion.
The All-England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has proposed development that would greatly expand the size of their facilities, building an 8000-seat stadium as well as 38 new courts on the former golf courses of the nearby Wimbledon Park – sold to AELTC in 1993.
In an initial case, Save Wimbledon Park argued that the Greater London Authority unlawfully disregarded the legal status of the land in granting planning permission last year.
However, all three strands of their argument were rejected in a High Court ruling in July, with Save Wimbledon Park now applying to appeal this verdict.
Despite this setback, Save Wimbledon Park representative Simon Wright has described the atmosphere within the campaign as “very positive”.
Wright said: “We’ve invested a lot of time and energy in this, and I think our feeling is that it needs to carry on.”
The campaign’s optimism appears understandable, as the upcoming appeal – described as having a “realistic prospect of success” by advisors to the group – is not the only issue facing the tennis club’s plans for expansion.
A second case, due to be held in January 2026, will decide on whether a statutory trust exists on the former golf courses in Wimbledon Park, with the AELTC seeking to prove that the land can be used for purposes other than public recreation.
Wright said: “If the requirement is that the land has to be used for recreation…it would actually prevent building on the site. At that point, I think there’d be some serious head-scratching going on at AELTC.”
Even beyond this, Save Wimbledon Park highlighted the possibility of yet another option that might hinder the AELTC’s proposals – political change at Merton Council.
The current Labour council granted initial planning permission to the All-England Club’s proposed development and has also not stated whether they will strictly enforce the 1993 covenant – itself separate from the statutory trust – pledging to keep the land for public recreational use, rejecting a previous Liberal Democrat motion to do so.
With local elections coming up in May 2026, Wright emphasised that a majority Liberal Democrat council, already the main Merton opposition to Labour since 2022, would wield this power to hinder the development of Wimbledon Park.
He said: “It may well be that Labour is not the single biggest party in Merton anymore, and certainly the Lib Dems have made it clear that if they have any say in the matter, that they will enact the covenant.”
The MP for Wimbledon Paul Kohler, elected in 2024, has also publicly advocated for the enforcement of this covenant by the council.
With their appeal against the July ruling looming, then, Save Wimbledon Park may appear to have a wide range of tools at their disposal, but costs remain a factor.
Save Wimbledon Park made national news this year when more than £200,000 was raised through crowdfunding to pay for the group’s legal costs.
When asked, Wright did not clarify the current financial position of the campaign, but underlined that previous support was almost unprecedented and that the group had confidence in their future survival, citing that “people have been very generous”.
“We’ve had a complete spectrum of people…donating money,” he added.
Reiterating the wider perspective and the potential for permanent ecological damage, he stated: “This goes beyond NIMBYism. We do not want to be the precedent that allows developers…to develop green spaces in London.”
A confirmation of the appeal date is expected in the next couple of months.
Featured image credit: Save Wimbledon Park
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