39 new tennis courts

Green light for controversial Wimbledon expansion

The controversial expansion of the tennis grounds at Wimbledon Park in London can go ahead as planned.

The plans of the All England Club, the organizers of the Grand Slam tournament, to build 39 new tennis courts on protected land were given the green light on Friday. This would almost triple the size of the current site. Plans include a new court with 8,000 seats.

More advantages
London's deputy mayor Jules Pipe approved the project after the Greater London Authority (GLA), which is responsible for planning, had already made a recommendation in favor of the project. The advantages for the Wimbledon tournament and the surrounding area outweighed the disadvantages, Pipe explained the decision. Opponents of the project fear damage to the environment.

According to a report in the Guardian, it is still not certain whether the expansion will actually go ahead once approval has been granted. This is because opponents of the project, including many local residents, can demand a judicial review and possibly submit the plans to the Supreme Court. There were protests against the expansion in Wimbledon around the tournament in the summer.