Wimbledon hosts, the All England Tennis Club, expressed disappointment after the London Borough of Wandsworth Tuesday refused planning permission for a massive expansion.
The plans, which included 39 new grass courts, including an 8,000-seater show court on the adjacent Wimbledon Park, had received approval from the London Borough of Merton. However, Wandsworth's planning committee turned it down.
Nevertheless, the decision will undergo review by the Mayor of London's office.
"Naturally, we are disappointed by the London Borough of Wandsworth's decision," said Sally Bolton, Chief Executive of the All England Club, in a statement. "Our proposals will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012, alongside substantial benefits for the local community."
Only a small section of the AELTC's plans falls under Wandsworth, but approval from both councils is required for the ambitious plans to move forward.
Wandsworth's planning officers recommended opposition to the development earlier this month, arguing it would "cause substantial harm to the openness of metropolitan open land."
A post from the London Borough of Wandsworth on X, formerly Twitter, confirmed the decision: "Wandsworth's planning committee votes to refuse Wimbledon tennis expansion plans."
There was also opposition from locals and environmental groups, with 14,000 people signing a petition to stop the plans, which would involve the felling of 300 trees. However, AELTC says over 1,000 will be planted.
A sizable crowd of protesters stood outside Wandsworth Town Hall on Tuesday while councilors made their decision.
The All England Club has transformed its facilities in the past two decades, but the fact that the Wimbledon qualifying competition has to take place off-site, several kilometers away, has been one of the motivating factors behind the enlargement.
In 2018, the AELTC's 65 million pounds ($81 million) bid for Wimbledon Park Golf Club was accepted by members.
The tennis club argues that its expansion plans would actually return private land back to the public.
"We firmly believe the AELTC Wimbledon Park Project offers significant social, economic, and environmental improvements, including turning 23 acres of previously private land into a new public park, alongside hundreds of jobs and tens of millions of pounds in economic benefits for our neighbors in Wandsworth, Merton, and across London," Bolton said.
"Given the split council decision, with the London Borough of Merton resolving to approve our application last month, our planning application will now be referred to the Mayor of London's office for consideration."
Lawmaker Stephen Hammond, who represents the Wimbledon constituency, said he was pleased Wandsworth had refused the plans.
"I think this application is too big and very difficult to justify," he was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
"It is not clear that you need the 39 courts; it is not clear that they need to build the size of showcourt they are talking about, and it is not clear that they have thought about the building in the public park."
