Court of Appeal to hear second legal challenge over Wimbledon grounds expansion

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which runs the Wimbledon Championships, won permission to build 38 new tennis courts, tennis-related infrastructure, and new buildings, including an 8,000-seat stadium, on land adjacent to its current grounds.

The plot, which sits on a former golf course, will also include a 9.4-hectare park open to the public, except during the Championships.

At the High Court in January this year, the AELTC sought a declaration that section 164 of the Public Health Act 1875 did not apply to the golf course land, meaning that the plot was not subject to a statutory trust that has the effect of dedicating the land to public recreation.

Local campaign group Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) appeared as a defendant at the High Court, arguing that section 164 of the 1875 Act did apply to the land.

Mr Justice Thompsell ultimately found: "That land that had never been appropriated or designated for the purposes of public enjoyment could be sold without imposing onto the purchaser a public trust where one had never before existed."

Lord Justice Newey has this week granted permission for an appeal of the decision, paving the way for a hearing at the Court of Appeal next year.

Responding to the decision, a spokesperson for SWP said: "The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has been saying in public and to their members that proceeding with their plans was a foregone conclusion.

"The decision of Lord Justice Newey to grant SWP leave to appeal demonstrates this position to be wishful thinking.  SWP's appeal is expected to be heard in 2027."

SWP has been separately challenging the validity of the planning permission granted to AELTC by the Greater London Authority in 2024.

The High Court rejected all three grounds of challenge in July 2025.

However, the Court of Appeal is set to hear an appeal concerning the planning permission after Lord Justice Holgate said the challenge has “real prospects of success”.

Adam Carey