Thousands of tennis fans joined the Wimbledon queue this morning, including protesters from Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) who were among the crowd as fans waited for tickets on day one of the Wimbledon Championships.
Dressed as tennis balls and holding large placards reading “AELTC can you ‘ear us?”, campaigners could be heard shouting “you cannot be serious”. This comes as thousands of tennis fans camped on the green overnight to secure a place in the queue for tickets to today’s matches, featuring stars including Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
There was a buzz in the crowd as people from across the globe gathered, chatting and enjoying a game of tennis together, as they waited for the gates to open.
Campaign Against AELTC Expansion
Since 2021, SWP has been campaigning against the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) proposed multi-million pound expansion, which would see 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium built on the site of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club. The site would enable the club to host qualifying matches for the oldest tennis tournament in the world. But SWP argues the expansion will damage the local environment, cause up to eight years of industrial construction disruption, destroy hundreds of mature trees, and permanently concrete over protected Metropolitan Open Land.
Plans for the expansion moved a step closer in March after the High Court ruled the development was not restricted by land-use rules. SWP argued a statutory trust existed under the Public Health Act, meaning the land had to be kept as a public space. But club lawyers said when AELTC purchased the freehold for the land in 1993, any trust no longer applied. In a blow to SWP campaigners, the High Court ruled the land was not subject to a public recreation trust, thus moving a major obstacle and clearing the way for the project to proceed.
Alternative Plans Proposed
Speaking to The Standard on Monday, Simon Wright, a member of SWP, said: “A local architect and tennis master planner have come up with an alternative set of plans. But we cannot get the AELTC to consider them, they’re not listening, so that’s why we’re out today.” He added: “We want to get the AELTC to come to the table and consider these alternative plans.”
Following the High Court ruling in March, Deborah Jevans, chairwoman of AELTC, said it provided "important clarity". She said: "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."
SWP previously said it had intended to apply to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal.
