The AELTC Wimbledon Park Project

Legal update

Judicial Review Proceedings

In November 2024 the Deputy Mayor of London granted planning permission for the Wimbledon Park Project. A claim for judicial review of that decision was subsequently made by objectors to the development, who argued that the grant of planning permission should be quashed. The High Court hearing took place on 8 and 9 July 2025, at which the GLA and AELTC defended the planning permission. The High Court refused to quash the grant of planning permission, dismissing the judicial review claim in a judgment published on 21 July.

In November 2025, the Court of Appeal gave SWP permission to appeal the High Court’s ruling to dismiss the Judicial Review of the GLA’s decision to grant planning permission for our plans. As yet, no date has been set for this appeal to be heard, however it must be heard before the end of 2026.

Statutory Trust Proceedings

At the GLA’s public hearing in September 2024, the possibility of a statutory trust on the land (meaning that the land must be available for public recreational purposes) was raised in their officers’ report.

Our position was and remains that there is not, nor has there ever been, a statutory trust affecting the former Wimbledon Park golf course land.

In the circumstances we recognised that the correct thing to do was to put the matter before the court to establish that there is no trust over the land. It is our belief that having this matter resolved is an important step that will deliver reassurance to us and to the local community.

Following a court hearing in January 2026, Mr Justice Thompsell ruled that the golf course land has never been held under a statutory trust.

Deborah Jevans, Chair of the All England Club, commented: “We welcome the High Court ruling which has found in favour of the All England Club and confirms that the former Wimbledon Park golf course land is not, and never has been, subject to a statutory trust.

“This Judgment provides important clarity on the status of the land. As has long been our position, the land has never been held under a statutory public recreation trust and the Court’s decision now brings welcome legal certainty to this matter, which all parties need in order to move forward.

“The ruling represents a significant milestone for our plans which will, as well as delivering 27 acres of beautiful new public parkland on previously private land, allow us to maintain Wimbledon’s position as one of the world’s most successful sporting events. Hosting our Qualifying Competition in SW19 will bring us into line with the other Grand Slams, and by increasing the practice facilities for the world’s best players, we will bring fans even closer to the sport’s best athletes.

“We know from our discussions with more than 10,000 local residents that the vast majority of people want us to get on and deliver the benefits of our plans as soon as possible.”

What is the Wimbledon Park Project?

The transformation of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course has been designed with two core objectives in mind:

• to maintain The Championships at the pinnacle of sport, by bringing Qualifying to SW19.
• to provide year-round substantial public benefit to those who live locally to the Grounds.

These proposals have been developed with the highest level of appreciation for the history and heritage of the existing landscape.

The proposals will result in an additional 38 grass courts, as well as a new Show Court, allowing the AELTC to bring the Wimbledon Qualifying event on-site for the first time.

These will mean that Wimbledon can remain as the world’s premier tennis tournament, with all the associated substantial social and economic benefits that the event brings, locally, for London and nationally.

Community benefits

• A new, 23 acre public park converted from a private golf course, previously inaccessible for the last 100 years constructed and annually maintained at Wimbledon’s expense to a 50 per cent increase in green space that is open to the public.
• A new, four acre public park at the northern entrance to the site, adjacent to the entrance to the existing Wimbledon Park. The proposed northern parkland will be accessible year-round, outside of the Qualifying Competition and The Championships.
• Restoration of the rapidly deteriorating lake with recreation of some of the original Capability Brown features and the creation of a new 3km boardwalk for the public along the lake’s perimeter. This is together with over £8m of further improvements to the existing public park to include refurbished boat house, improved toilets and several other benefits.
• A minimum of seven new Championship standard grass tennis courts open for community use.
• 1500 new trees and a significant increase to the extent and quality of biodiversity across the land. Expert analysis indicates there will be a measurable biodiversity net gain of at least 10 per cent. For more information on the work done in relation to trees and biodiversity on the land, click here.
• Increased provision of tickets to the Championships to the local community and schools.
• The projected economic boost to London from The Championships is expected to exceed £300million, both in direct and indirect impacts, once the project is completed. This is alongside the creation of more than 250 new jobs for The Championships, as well as many hundreds of jobs throughout the project’s construction phase.
  

Local support and consultation

We have undertaken very significant levels of consultation with residents, online and face to face.

More than 10,000 people have attended both virtual and in-person events, which have included more than 140 guided tours of the proposed new southern parkland. This is one of the most extensive consultations of any major development project in recent years.

Artist's impressions of the project

All England Club announces plans to increase public access to green space on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course

In May, we announced plans to create a new four-acre public parkland as part of our proposals to transform the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course. This enhancement to the proposals comes following consultation with the Greater London Authority and an extensive public consultation period, which has seen more than 8,500 people attend one the Club’s events since the planning applications were submitted in July 2021.

The proposed new parkland will be located at the northern entrance to the site and would be adjacent to the entrance to the existing Wimbledon Park, owned and operated by Merton Council. This northern parkland will complement the 23-acre parkland already proposed in the southern part of the site, bordering Home Park Road. This will mean that, now that planning permission has been granted, there will be more than 27 acres of the former private members golf course open to the public to use as part of the successful delivery of the AELTC Wimbledon Park Project.

The proposed northern parkland will be accessible year-round, outside of the Qualifying Competition and The Championships. The intention is that this new parkland will greatly enhance the experience of visitors entering Wimbledon Park from Wimbledon Park Road. The northern parkland will include new seating set within grasslands, areas of wildflower meadow, tree and woodland planting, and a tranquil pond. There will also be the opportunity to host small events – such as farmers markets and exhibition stall-type activities as well as leisure activities such as yoga and fitness classes. During the Qualifying Competition and The Championships, the northern parkland will be the gateway into the event for visitors approaching from Southfields.

We are also proposing to enhance some of the community facilities in the much-loved public Wimbledon Park. Now that planning permission has been granted, the development will unlock a state-of-the-art children’s playground, new public toilet facilities, extensive new planting and an upgrade to the Watersports and Outdoor Centre, as well as new pathway links to both the northern and southern parklands.

Frequently asked questions

Since the start of the process in 2021 we have tried to engage with as much of the local community and various representative bodies as we can, with over 10,000 people having attended one of our consultation or outreach events.

As a result of all of this engagement we have collated a number of Frequently Asked Questions to offer clarity and additional information where it has been requested.

We are always open to your feedback, questions and comments so please do keep in touch with us by emailing community@aeltc.com

Mythbusters

We are aware that there has been a lot of information circulating in the local community from a variety of sources regarding the AELTC Wimbledon Park Project, and we can appreciate how this might be confusing.

We wanted to address some of the misconceptions you might have heard by providing the facts behind the myths.