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

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

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

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