Car Parking Is Latest Focus Of Wimbledon Tennis Expansion Opposition
Friends of Wimbledon Park say plans for extra parking should be refused
Wimbledon Park car park after the 2021 tennis championships. Pic credit: FoWP
Plans by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) to offer extra car parking spaces during the annual championships have been met with local opposition.
It is the latest aspect of the controversial scheme to build 39 new tennis courts on Wimbledon Park to be addressed by the Friends of Wimbledon Park (FoWP).
The group has just made its third formal objection to the AELTC's planning application, which also includes an 8,000 capacity show court and would span 67 hectares between Wimbledon and Wandsworth.
The AELTC's application to Merton and Wandsworth councils included 101 documents, and the FoWP said it needed to make a staged response to the scheme to enable its volunteers to analyse the plans. More than 1,200 people have already objected to the plans for the Grade II* heritage park.
Earlier this month the FoWP said the lake's desilting proposal required a separate application for planning permission and should be refused.
While it said the lake was shallow and slowly losing depth, desilting will cause significant short-term harm to wildlife and lakeside habitats, the group claimed. It will also require the arrival of 330 HGV lorries a month for two years.
Now the FoWP is objecting to the plans for 660 cars to use Wimbledon Park for parking during the 2030 championships, which it says is an extra 160 cars (or a 32% increase) from the number of cars permitted by Merton Council in 2021.
Dr Nick Steiner, Chair of the FoWP, said in the group's submission that public car parking would be contrary to London and local transport sustainable policies and should be reset to zero.
He said: "It should be noted that annually, car parking in Wimbledon Park during the Championship is a major cause of regular, predictable damage to the park, leading to frequent replanting exercises and reducing public access to and enjoyment of the Great Field in Wimbledon Park.
"There can be no justification for increasing the number of parking spaces during the Tournament in Wimbledon Park. As part of the requirement for a holistic approach to the management of Heritage Wimbledon Park, car parking away from the Heritage Park should be arranged during the Tournament, irrespective of the success or failure of the present application."
He said a "well-structured" park and ride scheme could solve the car parking issue. He pointed out that as well as the existing 700 park and ride spaces at Morden Park, more sites could be found - including Southside at Wandsworth and smaller sites, such as next to St Mary's Church.
If the AELTC receives permission to carry out the work, it will enable the qualifying event for the annual tennis championships to take place on the site, rather than in Roehampton. The scheme will see 'Wimbledon fortnight' expanded to three weeks, meaning increased crowds in Wimbledon for a longer period of time as well as road closures for up to four weeks.
A Twitter account set up by Wimbledon and Southfields Residents' Associations, called @YouCannotBeSeriousSW19 said: "AELTC even want to encroach on the existing public section of Wimbledon Park for car parking. Deprives the community of huge public space during the tournament. At same time the permissive park is totally closed to all visitors."
Linda Murgatroyd, via @Murgsing, said: "Parks are for people and other creatures and plants. Not for machines, cars or profiteering".
Labour-led Merton and Wandsworth councils are expected to discuss the scheme in the Spring. But the Merton Labour Party has recently put out a statement giving its backing for a "new public park".
It said in a statement: "Exciting proposals for London's first new public park since the Olympic Park opened ten years ago will mean the land is freely open to the public for the first time.
"The plans include a new public path around Wimbledon lake, hundreds more trees and a biodiversity package that will involve the creation of diverse natural habitats for a range of protected species.
"We are concerned about some of the proposals - such as a new show court. We aren't convinced a new show court would benefit the area. We also want AELTC to agree to look again at proposals to close nearby roads during the Championship."
Bird's eye view of how the Wimbledon Tennis Club could look by 2028. Picture: AELTC
January 31, 2022