A MAJOR reconstruction of Wimbledon’s grounds has moved a step closer after the All England Club was granted permission by Merton Council to undergo its expansion.
The All England Club intends to build 39 new grass courts including an 8,000-seater stadium with retractable roof on land across Church Road which used to be home to Wimbledon Park Golf Club.
Allies and MorrisonA look at the plans for Wimbledon’s new showcourt[/caption]
Wimbledon have grand plans for the expansion of the grounds – displayed in red
Golf club members – including TV presenters Piers Morgan, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly – received £85,000 each when the AELTC bought the remaining 23-year lease for £65m in 2018.
The land mass of the All England Club will be expanded significantly, allowing qualifying for the tournament to take place in SW19.
This will bring the British major into line with the other three Grand Slams, who all have the facilities to host qualification for the tournament on their grounds.
Qualification currently takes place three-and-a-half miles away at the Bank of England Sports Centre in Roehampton, which has its charms but offers sub-standard facilities for the players and can only cater for about 2,000 spectators a day.
In future, up to 10,000 people a day will be able to watch qualifying and up to 50,000 enter the grounds during each day of the main fortnight.
The new show court, standing 28 metres above ground level and surrounded by oak trees, will have climbing plants on the walls.
With 8,000 seats and a roof it will meet Wimbledon’s goal for another large show court able to host matches whatever the weather.
The desire to preserve the championship courts means players regularly have to share a practice court at Wimbledon.
Times Newspapers LtdFormer Coronation Street actress Thelma Ruby is leading the calls against Wimbledon’s expansion[/caption]
That should no longer be necessary, and the All England Club has also promised to double the size of the wheelchair draw, which many feel they could do regardless.
But the proposals are facing huge backlash from local residents.
98-year-old former Coronation Street star Thelma Ruby led the opposition against the club’s expansion by claiming her life would be “ruined” by the building work.
She told SunSport in an exclusive interview: “My whole happiness depends on looking out on my view [of the Wimbledon club] several times a day.
“I’m not going to live until it finishes. The rest of my life I’m going to be heartbroken, looking at a building site.”
The intense opposition to the development caused significant delays until now, with development expected to be complete in the 2030s.
Ahead of the planning vote, around 75 members of the Save Wimbledon Park organisation gathered outside Merton Council’s office to demand the plans were stopped.
They say that the felling of the 300 trees to make the proposals a reality is “corporate ecocide.”