Wimbledon tennis back in UK court with campaigners blocking expansion plans

Wimbledon plans to treble the size of the existing site in London, adding 39 courts, but campaigners seek to block move.Published On 16 Jan 2026Wimbledon’s ‌plans to expand the grounds for the world’s oldest ‍and most ‍prestigious Grand Slam tennis tournament were back in court on Friday, as campaigners again seek to block the project.The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ⁠wants to treble the size of its main site, which ​has been home to the Championships since 1877, in ‍a 200 million-pound ($267.9m) project which would feature 39 new courts.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Feuds, boycotts, sacking: What’s the Bangladesh cricket crisis all about?list 2 of 4Olympic hopes double as act of defiance in war-ravaged Ukrainelist 3 of 4Fifteen former NCAA players charged in US-China basketball rigging caselist 4 of 4Cameroon football president Eto’o suspended for alleged AFCON misbehaviourend of listThe AELTC’s plans to redevelop a former golf course, which it owns, are ‍supported by ⁠several leading players and some residents.But campaign group Save Wimbledon Park, which took legal action to challenge planning permission, argues the land is subject to a statutory trust, meaning it must be kept for public recreation.The expansion plans would see 29 courts added to the existing site at Wimbledon [Toby Melville/Reuters]The AELTC is seeking a ruling from London’s High ​Court that the land is not subject ‌to such a trust, with its lawyers saying it has never been used for public recreation.Dozens of Save Wimbledon Park’s supporters gathered outside the court before ‌Friday’s hearing, including two women dressed as tennis balls holding a sign which said: “Balls ‌to AELTC.”The expansion plans were at ⁠the centre of a separate case last summer, when Save Wimbledon Park challenged planning permission approved by the London-authority" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="12357" data-entity-type="organization">Greater London Authority in 2024.Save Wimbledon Park ‌argued in that case that the GLA failed to properly take account of restrictions on redeveloping the land. Their challenge was ‍rejected, but the group has since been granted permission to appeal against that ruling.