Putney News: "Lords launch second attempt to strip Wimbledon Park of legal protection" (same peers, new bill)
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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 their 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 a formal process for the Secretary of State to free land from statutory trusts established under the Public Health Act 1875 and the Open Spaces Act 1906. These are the exact provisions at the centre of a High Court battle over AELTC’s plans to build on Wimbledon Park, where judgment is currently awaited.
The amendment was tabled on 9 February by Lord Banner KC, one of Britain’s leading planning barristers, and Lord Grabiner KC, a prominent commercial silk. Both were among four peers who sponsored the original attempt last autumn."
