Having continued working our way through the 101 planning documents submitted by AELTC, here is the Friends of Wimbledon Park 3rd response to the AELTC planning application, which was sent to Merton (LBM) and Wandsworth (LBW) Councils on 27 January 2022.
You may also be interested in the planning application responses submitted by a number of other organisations, including The Southfields Grid Residents Association, The Wimbledon Park Residents Association and The Capability Brown Society.
Here is an extract from the Friends of Wimbledon Park 3rd submission regarding the AELTC planning application:
“Comment
The fact of 101 documents for this application requires a staged response due to time constraints amongst the
volunteers examining these documents. We have obtained further information on which we can comment.
Quotes from the planning application documents are in italics.
Our Objections
1) Summary
a) Car parking is raised in these documents, and we object to the use of the public park in this way
and the increase in spaces in the public park and say that car parking on a Grade II* Heritage Park
should be reset to zero.
b) Public car parking on the application site or in the public park would be contrary to London and
Local sustainable transport policies, no permission should be granted for public car parking on the
Grade II* Heritage Park.
2) Car parking
In their application Transport Assessment 01 4.10 Summary of Existing and Proposed Car Parking Provision:
4.10.2 Table 4.1 shows the existing and proposed car parking capacity for The Championships, broken down by
car park and users.
Existing 2021 Proposed 2030
Car Park 10 General Public 660 Staff 660
It is not true that the 2021 AELTC agreement with LBM permitted parking for 660 cars. The figure was 500
cars, as shown below. It should be noted that annually, car parking in Wimbledon Park during the Championship
is a major cause of regular, predictable damage to the park, leading to frequent replanting exercises and reducing
public access to and enjoyment of the Great Field in Wimbledon Park.
There can be no justification for
increasing the number of parking spaces during the Tournament in Wimbledon Park. As part of the requirement
for a holistic approach to the management of Heritage Wimbledon Park, car parking away from the Heritage
Park should be arranged during the Tournament, irrespective of the success or failure of the present application.’
Car Parking Management Plan: 7 Parking Reduction Strategy
7.1.1 The redevelopment of the golf course will result in a significant reduction in the on-site area available for
car parking during The Championships. It is therefore critical to provide alternatives that will positively address this reduction in car parking without adversely impacting on the surrounding residential areas or the visitor
experience.
7.1.3 Whilst AELTC have always been able to provide parking adjacent to the Grounds, that is not typical of
events situated in city or urban areas. Progressively, venues such as Lords, Twickenham, and Hampton Court
Flower Show, even where they have parking provision, are encouraging use of public transport or park and ride
alternatives where possible.
7.1.6 Following examples of other sport events both locally and internationally, the parking usage reduction
throughout the last years supports the notion of resetting the Championships public parking arrangements as
part of the plans. Rather than providing a reduced capacity for public pre-bookings or on-day sales (mainly CP6
and CP10), it could be argued that it would be more appropriate to reset the figure to zero (with the exception
on the Blue Badge element which should remain the same), whilst providing appropriate park and ride solutions
for those users who will still rely on the private car for the access to the The Championships….” read more
