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The Statutory Trust Court Case Is Now Concluded - Thank You To All Our Supporters
The latest court case is now concluded. It hinged on whether the land of the former golf club is subject to a “statutory trust” under s164 Public Health Act 1875 - see SWP briefing notes . The Court's attention was drawn to two statements in the AELTG's Court papers. "It is admitted that if (contrary to the Claimant's [AELTG] case) s164 applied to the Golf Course Land it would preclude use of the Golf Course Land for the [current] Project". The 1993 Restrictive Covenants
42 minutes ago


Comprehensive Press Coverage of the Start of the AELTC vs SWP Statutory Trust Court Case
There has been comprehensive press coverage of the start of the AELTC vs SWP statutory trust court case . Here are some of the articles. More will be added as they emerge: BBC News, 16th Jan : Wimbledon plan faces dispute over 150-year-old law: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy7mylp34m3o Reuters, 16th Jan : Wimbledon expansion plans back in UK court for latest legal battle: https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon-expansion-plans-back-uk-court-latest-legal-battle-
Jan 16


Putney News: Five questions that will decide the future of Wimbledon Park
Putney News | 15 January 2016 | Kieren McCarthy Our legal explainer breaks down what the judge must weigh as Save Wimbledon Park takes on the All England Club. "A six-day High Court trial begins tomorrow that will determine whether the All England Lawn Tennis Club can build 39 grass courts and an 8,000-seat stadium on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course. The case pits Save Wimbledon Park, a residents’ campaign group, against one of sport’s most powerful institutions. At st
Jan 15


Significant National Voices Supporting Save Wimbledon Park - The January Court Case Matters To Every Person In The UK
(But Don’t Just Take Our Word For it…) "This is a watershed moment for London's parks. Should councils have unfettered powers to sell parks? We say no, on the contrary, the law should be tightened to protect parks across the country - and the public's right to those parks. London's parks are not for sale. If as in this case, the park was sold, in the past, on the understanding it should not be used for commercial purposes, then the public's rights should be protected." Alice
Jan 15


The Statutory Trust Case Between The AELTC And SWP Starts On 16th January: Briefing Note + Join Our Demonstration At The Royal Courts of Justice
The following briefing note has just been issued today by Save Wimbledon Park Ltd (SWP). Supporters of the campaign are being asked to meet at the Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, WC2A 2LL by 08:45 on Friday 16th January 2026 for a media-friendly demo. This is the same location as the demo of last year.
Jan 12


Clapham Junction Insider: Wimbledon extension: The latest developments ahead of 2026 challenges
Clapham Junction Insider | 18 December 2025 | by Cyril Richert "A Lords amendment aimed at clearing the way for Wimbledon’s expansion has fallen, leaving the project exposed to renewed legal challenges — including further cases in 2026 — over public land, statutory trusts and historic community promises." "Following the loss of the first round of legal battles over the summer — and with further challenges looming, including an appeal and a separate trust-related case expecte
Dec 21, 2025


Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty
From the Wimbledon Park Residents' Association Newsletter, Winter 2025 "Save Wimbledon Park - Eternal Vigilance" This is a tribute to the leadership of our Residents’ Associations and Civic Societies. There are also many, many more, past and present, who have campaigned, attended Council, GLA and Court Hearings, leafletted and contributed to fund raising (from “Here’s £5, I’m sorry it can’t be more” to those able to contribute more). Five years in, the developer has chosen to
Dec 14, 2025


Wimbledon Times: Triple legal jeopardy for All England Club, warns Paul Kohler
Wimbledon Times | 27 November 2025 | Paul Kohler "Much like the protagonists in Charles Dickens’ fictional satire on the English legal system, I fear something similar is happening here in SW19 - due, not to the manifest failings of our civil justice system, but the dogged intransigence of the All England Club. The AELTC is currently facing triple legal jeopardy. The planning permission they were eventually granted by the Mayor of London, after Labour’s Merton’s Council gave
Nov 29, 2025


Press Coverage of SWP Court of Appeal Litigation Success
Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) has been granted permission to take its judicial review case to the Court of Appeal . The Appeal Court has decided that the High Court’s decision in July 2025 to uphold the GLA’s decision to grant the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) planning permission requires legal scrutiny. Here is some of the recent press coverage: BBC, 20 Nov 2025 : Wimbledon's expansion plans to be challenged in appeal court: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2l2kl5rl4
Nov 20, 2025


Litigation Success for Save Wimbledon Park - Planning Challenge Goes to the Court Of Appeal
Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) has been granted permission to take its judicial review case to the Court of Appeal. The Appeal Court has decided that the High Court’s decision in July 2025 to uphold the GLA’s decision to grant the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) planning permission requires legal scrutiny. The planning permission granted by London’s Deputy Mayor which is under challenge gave the go-ahead for the AELTC to build on the former public Wimbledon Park golf course,
Nov 20, 2025


AELTC’s cynical attempt to change the law rejected emphatically by the House of Lords
Late on November 3rd Lord Gus O’Donnell, a director of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) was forced to drop his proposed amendment 250 to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill after receiving strong criticism from peers of all political parties. The amendment sought retrospectively to remove 45 years’ worth of public rights over open spaces, effectively favouring private landowners in general and AELTC in particular. It would have undone 150 years of statutory protectio
Nov 5, 2025


Putney News: "Wimbledon Park amendment abandoned after peers condemn ‘erosion’ of green space protection"
Putney News | 4/11/2025 | Kieren McCarthy "Lord O’Donnell’s controversial law change dropped following government rejection and cross-party opposition." "Lord Gus O’Donnell’s controversial amendment to retrospectively validate the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s Wimbledon Park land purchase was abandoned in the House of Lords last night after the government rejected it and peers condemned it as an “erosion” of public rights. Amendment 250 to the Planning and Infrastructure Bi
Nov 4, 2025


Planning and Infrastructure Bill Amendment 250 Report Stage House of Lords - SWP briefing note about a proposal to remove vested public rights by retrospective legislation
Below are 2 briefing notes (a short bullet point briefing and a longer form briefing) about a proposal to remove vested public rights by retrospective legislation which favours a private landowner. It sweeps away 150 years of Parliamentary protection of public open space in public ownership as a valuable community asset. We urge all members of the House of Lords to reject this cynical and unconstitutional amendment.
Nov 2, 2025


Putney News: Lords to debate controversial amendment government rejected six weeks ago
Putney News | 29 October 2025 | Kieren McCarthy "Wimbledon Park expansion could proceed if retrospective law change passes today." " (Updated: The debate on Amendment 250 has been postponed and is now expected to take place next week.)" "A controversial law change that could clear the way for the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s massive Wimbledon Park expansion was due to be debated in the House of Lords today but has been postponed until next week – despite government ministe
Oct 31, 2025


Open Spaces Society: Public rights on green spaces to be expunged?
Open Spaces Society | 30 October 2025 | Kate Ashbrook "An amendment[1] to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, due to be debated in the House of Lords on Monday 3 November, aims to remove long-standing public rights on green spaces when the land is sold by a local authority. We are urging peers to oppose it. The amendment would make it much easier for local authorities to sell open spaces to developers, ignoring and negating public rights, reversing the recent Day case[2]
Oct 31, 2025
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