Wimbledon Park is set to have a £200 million expansion after a High Court judge dismissed a bid to block the plans.
This comes after campaigners from Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) launched a legal bid to stop proposals for 39 new courts and an 8,000-seat stadium.
The proposal would also see seven maintenance buildings, access points and areas of parkland with permissive public access constructed, as well as allowing the club to host Wimbledon qualifiers on site.
However, Justice Saini rejected the group’s judicial bid. SWP has indicated that it intends to appeal against the ruling.
"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,” SWP director Christopher Coombe said.
Before Saini’s ruling, SWP raised £200,000 for the judicial review after plans were approved last September for the All England Lawn and Tennis Club (AELTC) to undergo development on the former Wimbledon Park golf club.
It was argued that the Greater London Authority, which granted the AELTC permission, didn’t properly consider key redevelopment restrictions of the land.
AELTC chairwoman Deborah Jevans said she was delighted with the decision.
"It is clear that we have a robust planning permission that enables us to create a permanent home for the Wimbledon qualifying competition as well as deliver 27 acres of beautiful new parkland for local people, providing public access to land that has been a private golf course for over 100 years,” she sai.
