In November, Wandsworth councillors unanimously rejected the proposal for 39 new courts in Wimbledon Park, situated adjacent to the All England Club in southwest London. Despite Merton Council's approval of the proposal, the seven councillors followed the guidance of their planning authorities. 

The application has been forwarded to the Mayor of London's office, and the All England Club, which owns and operates the Wimbledon site, remains optimistic about obtaining approval despite strong opposition from local residents. A key element of Wimbledon's appeal to these residents has been the inclusion of public parkland. The All England Club announced on Thursday that an additional four acres have been allocated to the northern part of the site, bringing the total to 27 acres. 

All England Club chair Debbie Jevans said: "I am delighted that, following the many thousands of conversations we have had with local people about our plans, and working with the Greater London Authority, we are now able to propose even more green space for Londoners to enjoy, on land that has been inaccessible to the public for more than 100 years.

"We continue to be committed to delivering significant social and environmental improvements, as well as creating hundreds of jobs and generating millions of pounds in economic benefits."

The proposal from the grass-court Grand Slam entails the construction of an 8,000-capacity show court on land formerly used by the Wimbledon golf course. Wimbledon authorities aspire for the project to facilitate the hosting of the qualifying competition on-site. 

This aligns with the practices of the other three Grand Slam tournaments, as Wimbledon's qualifying event currently takes place over three miles away in Roehampton. However, delays in obtaining administrative approval indicate that the initial goal of completing the project by 2030 is likely to be postponed.

The All England Club's statement added: "We look forward to confirmation of a date for a public hearing on our applications in the coming months."