Club statement about planning application
As fans will know by now, the Mayor has decided to call in our application which means that the GLA, and not Merton, will assume the role of the deciding authority in respect of the application.
We note that the GLA’s officers recommended that Merton should be allowed to determine the decision so while we are disappointed that it has been called in, we remain confident that any further review will lead to a successful conclusion. We have now seen the letter explaining the decision and the planning report which was submitted to the Mayor.
We have waited nearly 25 years to return to Wimbledon and while a delay is frustrating, it is something we believe we can accommodate in our plans and still be ready to open in the summer of 2018. In the short term, the specific actions that now need to take place have yet to be determined. Once we know the process, we will seek support from all fans to help to promote our case to the relevant authorities. Until then, we ask fans to be patient.
We will, of course, keep fans informed as we learn more about the next steps.