The Christmas Newsletter is scheduled to be distributed in the week beginning the 6th December.

Objections to the AELTC planning Application continue to be submitted
to Merton and Wandsworth. Merton have said that they will receive letters up until the time of the planning committee meeting to decide the application. That looks like being well in to the New Year. So if you have not written in and have been thinking about it you still can.

The total number of objections received by Merton and Wandsworth currently stands at about 1230  and supporting letters number about 30.

Newspaper coverage
The press is starting to get hold of the story and in particular the South London News coverage has been good. Also more recent is this article in the Daily Mail.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10235983/Locals-legal-row-Wimbledon-plans-build-39-new-courts-new-stadium.html

Covenant concerns
The following excerpts are from the recent full Merton Council meeting on the 17th November

(Public Pack)Supplementary Agenda 2 (Public and Councillor Questions and Replies) Agenda Supplement for Council, 17/11/2021 19:15 (merton.gov.uk)

28 Jeremy Hudson (Wimbledon Society):    To the Cabinet Member for Local Environment and Green Spaces
When the Council sold the freehold of Wimbledon Park Golf Club to the All England Lawn Tennis Club in 1993, both parties publicly and solemnly promised to their local communities that the land would not be built upon. In the light of the Club’s professed intention to renege on that promise, what are the Council doing to uphold that promise?
Reply
The council are currently considering the hybrid (part outline and part detailed) planning application submitted by the All England Lawn Tennis Club for their landholdings at Wimbledon Park; planning reference 21/P2900. Covenants relating to land are not a planning matter so will not be considered as part of determining this application.
The Council as the landowner with the benefit of this restrictive covenant takes this matter extremely seriously. At present there is no requirement for the Council to take any action since there is no breach or immediate pending breach of any of the restrictive covenants that were placed on this land in 1993. The Council will ensure that appropriate legal consideration is given to this matter as and when necessary and will act appropriately.

Cllr Paul Kohler:   To the Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and the Climate Emergency
Will the Cabinet member confirm, regardless of the outcome of the Planning Applications concerning the land in question, that the Council will enforce the restrictive covenants, to which the AELTC agreed, when Merton sold the freehold of the Wimbledon Golf Club land to them in 1993?
Reply
The Council as the landowner with the benefit of this restrictive covenant takes this matter extremely seriously. At present there is no requirement for the Council to take any enforcement action since there is no breach or immediate pending breach of any of the restrictive covenants that were placed on this land in 1993. The Council will ensure that appropriate legal consideration is given to this matter as and when necessary and will act appropriately.

There is no written record of a supplementary, but this YouTube @ 41.06 records a further exchange

Council, 17 November 2021 7.15pm – YouTube

(This is a précis – not the full version)
Kohler to Cllr Whelton:  ‘for the avoidance of doubt will the cabinet member commit the Council to enforcing the covenant and not allow the AELTC to erect any permanent buildings on the land to which the covenant applies.’

Whelton replies:  ‘The  covenant is in place and it is staying in place.’

Petitions
Local Politicians have now woken up to the serious concerns of both Merton residents and national organisations like CPRE and save Britain’s Heritage to the AELTC proposals.

Both the Lib Dems and Conservative parties have launched petitions
These are the links to both if you want to sign up.

https://www.mertonlibdemsorg.uk/aeltc

https://www.mertonconservatives.org/form/village-aeltc-petition

Best wishes
Iain Simpson

Chairman