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 Bill was “not moved” by its sponsor, Lord Banner, following strong cross-party opposition and a government commitment to address the issue through future legislation with proper consultation.

The decision means Save Wimbledon Park’s legal challenge, scheduled for the High Court in January, remains on track. The amendment would have retrospectively validated Merton Council’s 1993 sale of the 73-acre former golf course to AELTC, potentially ending the community’s case before it reached court.

Lord O’Donnell, who confirmed he received an £86,000 payout from the disputed land while serving as an unpaid director of three AELTC companies, used the debate to defend the tennis club’s expansion plans as essential for “national well-being” and “economic growth.”

But peers from across the political spectrum rejected the amendment as a threat to green space protection nationwide, with Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle explicitly bringing “voices from the community, represented by the Wandsworth and Merton Green parties and Merton Friends of the Earth, which are strongly opposed to the development by the All England Lawn Tennis Club.”

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