Last Updated on 17 August 2023
When the AELTC took full control of Wimbledon Park golf course in 2018, they didn’t just acquire the fairways and greens but also a rubbish dump. It’s next to the clubhouse of the Wimbledon Club and close to the lake shore.
The AELTC wish to remove it together with a number of self-seeded trees and have applied for planning permission. They have identified a route for lorries to take from Church Road to the dump that weaves between existing trees. After the site has been levelled, they plan to sow grass and wild flowers.
But this seemingly simple proposal is beset with problems. The site is part of the protected Capability Brown designed Metropolitan Open Land. It’s clear from historical records that this area was always woodland, so it ought to be returned to woodland. The self-seeded trees are there precisely because they are the natural types of trees for the area.
Dr Dave Dawson has written an admirable summary, which has been send as comments on the planning application by Wimbledon Park Residents’ Association, and which we endorse. You can read it here.
