Strawberries and cream, Pimms, and Murray Mound are phrases reserved for one of the great British sporting spectacles: Wimbledon. Thousands of people will soon descend on SW19 to breathe in the captivating atmosphere and see tennis’s top stars, such as Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff.
The competition will get underway today, and as people walk towards the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) along Church Road, they will spot a bit of land that used to be a golf club. This land has been the subject of a contentious planning row.
AELTC bought the lease for the neighbouring Wimbledon Park Golf Club for a reported £65m in 2018, and has ambitious plans for the site, which also incorporates Wimbledon Park Lake. It wants to build 38 new courts, including a third show court with a seating capacity of 8,000 and a retractable roof, as well as designated north and south player hubs, while also providing publicly accessible parkland.
Under the proposals, originally submitted in 2021, the grounds would almost triple in size, allowing Wimbledon to host the qualifying tournaments in SW19 rather than at their current venue a couple of miles away in Roehampton.
The work is projected to be completed in 2030, delivering an increase in the capacity of the championships from 42,000 to 50,000 along with “benefits relating to heritage open space, recreation and community”. However, the application is in gridlock. The ambitious scheme has not gone down well with some residents, who have set up a campaign group, Save Wimbledon Park, to object to the development and garnered thousands of petition signatures.
This story is from the July 01, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 01, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Brexit Deals A £3bn-A-Year Blow To UK Food Exports
British food sales to the EU have fallen by almost a fifth since the end of the Brexit transition period, a new report shows
Biden Criticised Across The Board For Pardoning His Son
President’s decision slated by Republicans and Democrats
Why 8 hours is a myth and other athletes' sleep secrets
Performance coach Greg Meehan tells Alex Pattle how he keeps clients, including boxers and footballers, in top shape
Women like me won't stand for this treatment any more
When I woke up to MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace blaming midlife, middle-class women and their lack of a sense of humour for his troubles, I confess to swearing at my phone.
The BBC's Wallace problem goes beyond MasterChef
Is the fate of a television cookery presenter more important than Syrian insurgents seizing Aleppo and the turmoil on the streets in Georgia? The BBC thinks so, based on its news judgements in recent days, which have seen exhaustive coverage of the accusations against Gregg Wallace take precedence over matters of life and death around the world.
Edwards knew that he was beaten but he never gave up
Former world flyweight champion told cornerman, 'I don't want to be here' after two rounds of his loss to Galal Yafai
Proud Welshman who drew every drop from his talent
Terry Griffiths was the first qualifier to lift the world crown
Former world champion Terry Griffiths dies, aged 77
Tributes have been paid to former world snooker champion Terry Griffiths, who died on Sunday at the age of 77 after a long battle with dementia.
Transformed Gravenberch embodies Slot's Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp had a habit of sounding prophetic. Or he had the capacity, whether through coaching and tactical prowess or force of personality, to make some of what he said come true.
Soaring house prices heap pressure on fixer Rayner
Sorry to make a soggy start to the week even more miserable, but it brings bad news for homebuyers. The housing market has taken a shot of adrenaline and performed a season’s best in the high jump.
