The London Borough of Merton has approved plans for the Wimbledon Park Project.
Proposals put forward by the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC) involve creating a 23-acre park open for all, year round except during qualifying and championships tennis.
The grounds are historic and were developed by English landscape designer Capability Brown in the eighteenth century. AELTC has promised to keep its plans in line with Brown’s vision.
Proposals for the park include protecting existing trees on the site and planting 1,500 more British trees, restoring the Wimbledon Park Lake with the addition of a public boardwalk, and creating natural habitats for local and European protected species.
The land is a Grade II* Registered Park and Garden, on Metropolitan Open Land, but as a private golf course it has not been accessible to the public for over 100 years. As part of the proposal, permanent access to the parkland will become a legally binding commitment once planning permission has been granted.
However, the application has attracted controversy with the council receiving more than 2,000 local objections to the proposals, as well as opposition from conservation groups, and a Change.org petition to “save” the park with more than 13,000 signatures.
AELTC is inviting the public to attend virtual tours of the new park here. The park plans are part of a much wider redevelopment of the Wimbledon tennis facilities that include an 8,000-seat parkland show court, 38 tennis courts, and multiple ancillary buildings.
Comments
Comments are closed.
Looks like a great idea – (the fact that despite being Public Open Land, it’s been closed to the public for over 100 Years is the controversial part!!!)