Save Wimbledon Park has been authorised to take a second appeal to the Court of Appeal against the All England Club's plans to expand onto the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club site. SWP contends the land is protected by a statutory trust under the Public Health Act 1875, a position the High Court rejected earlier this year. The Court of Appeal ruled the challenge has a real prospect of success and set an estimated three-day hearing, expected in 2027. The expansion would add 38 courts and an 8,000-seat stadium; the club says the case will cause further delays to promised community benefits.
Court of Appeal Grants Save Wimbledon Park Permission For Second Appeal Over AELTC Expansion
The All England Club (AELTC) wants to build an extra 38 tennis courts [@Allies&Morrison/AELTC]
Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) has been granted permission to bring a second legal challenge to the Court of Appeal over the All England Lawn Tennis Club's (AELTC) proposed expansion onto the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club site.
Appeal Permission and Timeline
The Court of Appeal's order says the appeal is likely to last about three days and SWP expects the hearing to take place in 2027. In the order, Lord Justice Newey said:
'The arguments advanced by the appellant have sufficient substance for the appeal to have a real prospect of success.'
The All England Club plans to expand on to the land of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club [Simon Wright]
Background Of The Dispute
SWP argues that the land is protected by a statutory trust created under the Public Health Act 1875, which they say requires the land to be used 'for the purpose of being used as public walks or pleasure grounds' and therefore prevents the proposed development. The AELTC disputes this, saying the land was never subject to such a trust and, even if it once was, the trust did not survive the club's 1993 purchase of the freehold.
In March Mr Justice Thompsell ruled the land was 'unencumbered by any statutory trust' and added that, even if a trust had existed, the land had 'never been used or laid out for public recreation'. The Court of Appeal's permission to appeal means that ruling will be tested again.
Campaigners held a protest outside the High Court during a hearing last year [PA Media]
Proposed Development
The AELTC's plans would build 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium on the former golf club site to host qualifying matches for Wimbledon, along with seven maintenance buildings, new access points, an area of parkland with limited public access, and works affecting Wimbledon Lake.
Planning History And Local Reaction
The Greater London Authority granted planning permission for the expansion in 2024. The High Court previously upheld that decision after an earlier legal challenge by SWP; the Court of Appeal has also granted permission to challenge that planning consent at a separate hearing. Campaigners staged a protest outside the High Court during earlier proceedings.
An AELTC spokesperson called the Court of Appeal's permission 'disappointing news' but said the club remained confident the High Court's decisive findings would be upheld. The AELTC also highlighted the community benefits it says the scheme would deliver and warned that further legal processes will delay delivery.
What's Next
SWP will prepare its arguments for the Court of Appeal hearing, currently expected in 2027, while the AELTC continues to press for delivery of the planned works and community benefits once legal matters are resolved.
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