Wimbledon tennis expansion gets High Court boost33 minutes agoShareSaveShareSaveGetty ImagesThe proposed expansion would add an 8,000-seat stadium to the sitePlans to almost triple the size of the Wimbledon tennis site have moved a step closer after the High Court ruled the development was not restricted by land-use rules. All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) wants to build 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium by developing a former golf course.Campaign group Save Wimbledon Park (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 stated when AELTC purchased the freehold in 1993, any trust would no longer apply.SWP has stated it intended to apply to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal. In a ruling released on Thursday, Mr Justice Thompsell stated the land was “never appropriated or dedicated to the use of public recreation” and instead “was used as a private golf club”, adding that the club was “unencumbered by any statutory trust”.
