In November 2024, the All England Lawn Tennis Club received planning permission for its transformation of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course.

A legal issue has arisen about the status of the Golf Course, specifically whether section 164 of the Public Health Act 1875 applies to it such that it is subject to (what has been called) a “statutory trust”.

The All England Lawn Tennis Ground PLC (“AELTG”), the owner of the Golf Course, has been in communication with various objector groups in relation to this issue. With the agreement of Save Wimbledon Park Limited (“SWP”), it has issued High Court proceedings to determine the status of, and obtain declarations about, the Golf Course land.

SWP has been made the Defendant to these proceedings, and has filed an acknowledgment of service that it intends to contest the claim.

The parties are agreed that SWP should act as a representative defendant on behalf of all those in whose interests it is or may be to argue that section 164 applies to the Golf Course. The effect of such an order would be that (to the extent the declaration would not have that effect anyway) those represented are bound by the decision of the Court as to the status of the land.

AELTG accordingly intends to issue an application for the Court to make an order that SWP be made a representative as set out above. As part of that process, AELTG publishes this advertisement to draw the proceedings and the proposed application to any interested member of the public.

Any requests for information or documentation in relation to the proceedings and the application should be made to AELTG’s solicitors, by email, at AELTCDevelopment@cms-cmno.com