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Putney News: "Lords launch second attempt to strip Wimbledon Park of legal protection" (same peers, new bill)
Putney News | 16 February 2026 | Kieren McCarthy "Same peers, new bill, same mechanism abandoned three months ago." "Two peers who previously co-sponsored an amendment with an AELTC board member have tabled a fresh attempt to override open space protections for parks across England, three months after t heir first effort was abandoned following cross-party opposition in the House of Lords. Amendment 222C to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill would create
7 days ago


Clapham Junction Insider: Is there a Trust? Wimbledon expansion returns to High Court
Clapham Junction Insider | 10 February 2026 | Cyril Richert "From Southfields station to the Royal Courts of Justice, a vocal SWP crowd rallied outside the Royal Courts of Justice for the opening of a pivotal High Court hearing on whether a 150-year-old statutory trust protects the golf course land from the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s controversial £200m expansion. Despite the cold weather (at least without rain) —a stark contrast to last July’s warm sunshine—a similar gr
Feb 13


Putney News: Tennis Club Concedes Key Points As Judge Hints At Supreme Court Battle
Putney News | 25 January 2026 | Kieren McCarthy "Judge openly discusses appeals as six-day Wimbledon Park trial concludes." "The final day of the Wimbledon Park statutory trust trial concluded on Friday with the judge openly discussing how his ruling might be challenged in the Supreme Court – a striking signal that he may be leaning toward finding against the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC). After six days of intensive legal argument in a well-attended courtroom at the
Jan 25


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
Jan 24


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


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


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


Paul Kohler MP Letter to The Telegraph Re Article on House of Lords Amendment and the AELTC
Please see this letter from Paul Kohler MP to The Telegraph :
Oct 30, 2025


Putney News: "Lord tries to rewrite law to rescue Wimbledon from court battle. He sits on the AELTC board"..."MPs slam ‘scandalous’ conflict"
Putney News | 25 October 2025 | Kieren McCarthy "MPs slam ‘scandalous’ conflict as Lord O’Donnell’s amendment would kill Wimbledon Park legal challenge." "A member of the House of Lords is set to sponsor legislation next week that could directly benefit the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s ongoing legal battle over Wimbledon Park – while simultaneously serving as a director of three companies controlled by the club. Lord Gus O’Donnell, the former Cabinet Secretary, is one of f
Oct 25, 2025


New Planning Legislation Would Have Profound Impact on AELTC Wimbledon Development…Proposed by Lord O’Donnell, a Director of AELTC
A proposed amendment change (Amendment Number 250) to appear after clause 108 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill is to be discussed next week in the House of Lords on Monday (Oct 27) or Wednesday (Oct 29), proposed by Lords Banner, Grabiner, O’Donnell and Pannick. This would potentially have a profound impact on the development proposed by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) not to mention countless other open spaces designated for public use and recreation. In addi
Oct 25, 2025


The long-anticipated hearing of SWP's Judicial Review & our success in defending costs protection for the legal battle
Supporters’ Bulletin no. (8), 10 July 2025 - The long-anticipated hearing of SWP's Judicial Review... The long-anticipated hearing of...
Jul 10, 2025


More Comprehensive Press Coverage of Save Wimbledon Park at the High Court
There has been further comprehensive press coverage of Save Wimbledon Park at the High Court, to challenge the GLA Planning Permission. Here is a list of some of the recent articles: 18th July 2025 Express: "BBC forced to issue huge apology to comedian after Wimbledon gaffe on live TV" 16th July 2025: Clapham Junction Insider: "Wimbledon tennis on court and ... in court!" 13th July 2025: The Observer magazine cover: "Wimbledon's expansion meets its match" 10th July 2025: Th
Jul 9, 2025


SW Londoner: Concerns Wimbledon expansion plans threaten recreational park spaces
SW Londoner | 7th July 2025 | Heidi Bates A Wimbledon community-spearheaded campaign raised concerns the approval for an expansion of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) threatens the accessibility of parks for recreational sport. The Save Wimbledon Park group (SWP) raised over £130,000 for a judicial review to challenge the GLA’s approval of the Wimbledon Park Project which will expand into the former golf course land, a heritage Grade II* landscape. The review, set to
Jul 8, 2025


ITV News: Protesters gather as legal challenge over Wimbledon expansion heard at High Court
ITV News | 8th July 2025 "Protesters have gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice where a campaign group’s legal challenge against plans to almost triple the size of the Wimbledon tennis site is being heard at the High Court. Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) is challenging the decision by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to give the green light to the All England Club’s proposal to build 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat stadium, on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club. P
Jul 8, 2025


The Guardian: "‘It’s going a bit too far’: locals criticise Wimbledon expansion plans before judicial review"
The Guardian | 7th July 2025 | Geneva Abdul "Campaigners are challenging planning approval granted last year for scheme to develop 39 more courts" " I love this tournament, I love what they’ve done with it, but I do not love what they’re developing it into,” said Jonathan Pinkess on day five of Wimbledon. Standing in the morning sun, handing out flyers against the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s expansion plans, he is one of many local residents who fear the championship will
Jul 7, 2025


Canadian Globe and Mail: "Wimbledon expansion plans face backlash"
Canadian Globe and Mail | 2 July 2025 | Paul Waldie, Europe Correspondent Residents' group has been fighting the project for four years, believing it will cause environmental damage and cut off public access to green space. As he sipped a cup of English Breakfast tea in the cool comfort of an exclusive restaurant inside Wimbledon's Centre Court stadium, Christopher Coombe hardly looked like a rabble-rousing community activist bent on thwarting the ambitions of the All Engla
Jul 5, 2025


Next Steps - The High Court. Join us on the morning of 8th July - Travel arrangements
The SWP judicial review that challenges the GLA’s planning permission to build on Wimbledon Park will be heard in the High Court on 8th...
Jul 3, 2025
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