A £200 million expansion to the home of Wimbledon tennis is set to go ahead after a High Court judge dismissed a bid to block the plans.
Campaigners from Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) launched a legal bid to stop the proposals which include 39 new courts and an 8,000-seater stadium.
But Mr Justice Saini, sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice on Monday, rejected the group’s judicial review bid.
The campaign group swiftly indicated it intends to appeal the ruling.
The legal fight stemmed from the grant of planning permission by the Greater London Authority to the All England Lawn Tennis Club for development on the former Wimbledon Park golf club.
It is argued that the GLA failed to properly consider key redevelopment restrictions tied to the land, which were established when AELTC’s parent company acquired the golf course freehold in 1993.
Sasha White KC, for Save Wimbledon Park, told the court hearing last month: “You could not have a more protected piece of land in London.”
Mr White argued that the land - a Grade II*-listed heritage site partly designed by Lancelot “Capability” Brown - is protected by a historic covenant.
But the GLA and the tennis club disputed that the restrictions exist, and said the decision to grant was a “planning judgment properly exercised”.
The High Court judge backed that assessment, called the decision a “planning judgment rationally exercised and having regard to appropriate and relevant factors”.
Initially, Merton Council approved the plans but Wandsworth Council rejected them, forcing City Hall to get involved.
Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, recused himself from deciding on the scheme, before his deputy, Jules Pipe, agreed that the plan “would facilitate very significant benefits” which “clearly outweigh the harm”.
Reacting to the court ruling, Sir Sadiq called it “welcome news that will cement Wimbledon’s reputation as the greatest tennis competition in the world and London as the sporting capital of the world.”
Deborah Jevans CBE, chairwoman of the All England Club, said they are “delighted” by the news, adding: “We have spoken to more than 10,000 people who have taken the time to come in person and understand our plans in detail.
“The vast majority of people just want us to get on and deliver the many benefits on offer as soon as possible.”
The world-famous tennis club says its plans have won the backing of environmental groups like Natural England and the London Wildlife Trust.
It says it is bringing a golf course which is currently private back into public use, with 27 acres of parkland becoming accessible.
The club has also promised £15 million of enhancements to Wimbledon Park, including a new lakeside boardwalk, a water sports centre, and a children’s play park.
Novak Djokovic backed expansion as a “win-win”, while Carlos Alcaraz labelled it a “great idea”.
The All England Club argues that, to remain competitive with other Grand Slam tournaments such as the French Open and the US Open, it needs to expand its facilities.
Qualifying rounds are currently held in Roehampton, and practice facilities at the main tournament are limited.
Campaigners against the scheme are concerned about damage to biodiversity in the park, and also fears that a decade of construction traffic around the local area, which is heavy with children walking to school, could be catastrophic for safety and air pollution levels.
Comedian and writer Andy Hamilton has joined campaigners in their fight and said he is “vehemently opposed” to the expansion of the Wimbledon tennis site.
“They are going to decimate the park, at huge cost to the local environment and the local community”, he said, dubbing the scale of the plan “absurd”.
Campaigners have said they will seek to appeal against Monday’s High Court decision, saying: “SWP is not taking this step lightly but believes that the GLA did make a significant legal error in the way it dealt with the special legal status of the park.”
Christopher Coombe, director of SWP, said: “This judgment would, if it stands, set a worrying precedent for the unwanted development of protected green belt and public open spaces around London and across the country.
“The (All England Club) will surely have noted the considerable public outrage about this development, most recently expressed outside the law courts, and we continue to hope that they could be persuaded to engage constructively with us, with a view to achieving a resolution of this four-year-old dispute.”
