Residents Association
of
West Wimbledon
Upcoming events
Save Wimbledon Park meetings
These meetings are taking place on 26 March 2025 and 31 March 2025. Further details will be found below.
AELTC planning application for Wimbledon Park Golf Course
Background
In 2021, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) submitted a very controversial planning application to expand its tennis complex onto the heritage land of Wimbledon Park. The former Wimbledon Park golf course is Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) and in a Conservation Area.
The plan envisages an 8,000-seat stadium, 38 courts, ten other buildings and 9km of roads and paths, defies multiple planning policy protections and ignores the AELTC’s 1993 covenanted promise not to develop the land. The golf course is mainly in Merton but a section of it is in Wandsworth. In October 2023 the application was approved by Merton Council but in November 2023 was refused by Wandsworth Council. The Greater London Authority (GLA), having decided to 'call-in' the application, decided in favour of AELTC's application on 27 September 2024.
Developments in 2025
On 7 February 2025 the High Court issued an order confirming that Save Wimbledon Park Limited could proceed with a Judicial Review of the GLA's decision to grant planning permission.
On 4 March 2025 Save Wimbledon Park Limited issued the following press release:
YOU CAN STILL SAVE WIMBLEDON PARK !
Come to our public meetings to find out how:
- March 26th, 19:15 -21:15 @ Sacred Heart Church Parish Hall (*), Edge Hill, Wimbledon SW19 4LU
- March 31st, 19:30 - 21:30 @ St Barnabas Church, 146 Lavenham Road, Southfields SW18 5EP
(*) For the Sacred Heart event, please note that this will be held in the Parish Hall, not the Church itself. Also please note that parking in the Church / Parish Hall car park is restricted and a strict regime operates 24 hours a day Monday - Saturday with fines of £100. There is however free parking available in some local streets.
With your support we have spent the last four years campaigning to stop the AELTC Wimbledon Park Project. Our request for a Judicial Review has been granted and we will be in court in early July.
But only if we can raise £200k! If we can’t raise enough money the last four years will be in vain and AELTC’s plans will go ahead, destroying trees and building an industrial tennis complex complete with an 8,000 seat stadium. This is our last chance to stop the AELTC Project and make them think again.
We are off to a flying start and at the public meetings we will share how you can help us reach our funding target.
At these meetings we will
- Explain the current legal situation
- Put the AELTC plans into a wider context
- Show you how you can support our campaign
There will be plenty of time for you to ask questions and make your views heard.
Both meetings will be greatly enhanced by the presence of Andy Hamilton (Have I Got News For You? and much more). Andy is a local resident and long-term supporter of Save Wimbledon Park and has much to say on the current plans.
We look forward to seeing you.
On 18 March 2025 Save Wimbledon Park Limited issued the following press release:
SWP are crowdfunding to proceed with a Judicial Review of the GLA’s grant of planning permission for the proposed AELTC development. Donate Now:
Donate now on our CrowdJustice page (*): https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-wimbledon-park/
(*) CrowdJustice is a specific fundraising site for legal cases. Funds raised on this platform are transferred directly to SWP’s lawyers Russell-Cooke.
Please opt in to receive updates from the CrowdJustice website when you donate, as we will be posting update bulletins on this site.
Please also join us at our two upcoming events – 26 March in Wimbledon and 31 March in Southfields.
The Save Wimbledon Park campaign (“SWP”) has been actively working since 2021 against the proposal of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (“AELTC”), the private club that annually runs the Wimbledon tennis Championships to develop the highly protected former Wimbledon Park golf course into an industrial-scale tennis complex. We believe the scale and scope of the proposed development is unjustified and unlawful.
See background information and more details on the scale and specifics of the proposed development.
The High Court has now issued an Order confirming that Save Wimbledon Park may proceed for Judicial Review of the GLA’s planning decision.
The Court decided that “The Claimant [SWP] has raised arguable grounds which merit consideration at a full hearing”. The case is now listed for Trial in July 2025.
For further information on the current status of the campaign visit the following website at
https://www.savewimbledonpark.org/
Flood prevention in Raynes Park Centre
After repeated flooding in Raynes Park centre over many years, we had only one brief episode of flooding in 2023. That was in June when there was exceptionally heavy rain but only for about half an hour. That was enough to cause surface water flooding in the centre of Raynes Park. A partnership of Thames Water, Merton Council, and the Environment Agency is working on a Raynes Park FIood Alleviation Scheme. Pending the outcome of the review a small ‘rain garden’ was installed in 2023 as a trial and to help alleviate the repeated flooding under the railway bridge. Rain gardens are designed to help slow down the flow of water into the sewer system and improve the street scene.
Rain garden at north end of skew arch
Tree protection
A number of mature trees have been lost in West Wimbledon during recent years. Trees can be protected through the planning system if they are identified in time. Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs)
'should be used to protect selected trees and woodlands if their removal would have a significant negative impact on the local environment and its enjoyment by the public'.
Where such trees are at risk due to the potential sale of a property to a developer protection should be sought before the site is sold.
Trees which meet the criteria for a Tree Preservation Order will:
- be visible from a public place (e.g. from a road or park).
- appear healthy
- make a significant contribution to the street scene/visual amenity (e.g. be well established, attractive, improve the view)
They can be trees of any species. If you have noticed any trees in the RAWW area you think might meet these criteria please email
enquiries@raww.org.uk with details including the tree location, species (if known), a photo and any risk to it that you think there might be.
You can check whether a tree is already protected with a TPO on
Merton Council's online list of TPOs where they are grouped by
road names, which are listed alphabetically. The list includes details of the tree’s location within the road and the species.
Our Aims
RAWW aims to protect and enhance the local environment and promote the interests of the local community. This includes responding to planning applications and issues raised by local residents and taking part in consultations on all major building development projects and events held in the area. These activities involve liaising with Merton Council, our MP Paul Kohler, local councillors and with local groups including the Raynes Park Association, Raynes Park Community Forum, Friends of Morley Park (FoMP), the Wimbledon Society and the Wimbledon Union of Residents Associations.
RAWW also delivers an annual mailing to all households in the area, sends regular email updates on local issues to members and holds an AGM.
The area we cover
The RAWW area is shown as shaded on the above map (Copyright Google).