An actress has declared that she will chain herself to a tree to prevent the All England Club from carrying out a £200million expansion on the tennis courts at Wimbledon.
Thelma Ruby, who has appeared in Coronation Street and on stage alongside Orson Welles and Judi Dench, has lived in a penthouse flat on Wimbledon Hill Road for over three decades.
But now the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) has had plans approved to build 39 new courts and an 8,000-seater stadium in the park outside her home, with the 99-year-old claiming that she will ‘chain’ herself to a tree in protest.
Speaking to BBC London, she said: ‘I have chosen the tree and I am going to chain myself to a tree so that one of those 800 trees maybe I can save.
‘Let them arrest me!’
Speaking to BBC London she said: ‘I have chosen the tree and I am going to chain myself to a tree so that one of those 800 trees maybe I can save’
In total, the AELTC will now open up 27 acres of parkland to members of the public and build 39 new tennis courts on Wimbledon Park and Wimbledon Park Golf Club
In May, the AELTC announced they would be looking to unlock an additional four acres of land as part of the plans
The plans which has been approved by City Hall would see Wimbledon almost triple in size.
AELTC has said the project will ‘deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012’ and will ‘create 27 acres of beautiful new parkland, free for the public to access and enjoy’.
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However, residents have maintained it will cause environmental damage, take a decade to build, and cause a loss of green spaces on protected metropolitan open land.
Ms Ruby continued: ‘They admit to cutting down 300 trees, but experts tell us it is more like 800 trees. Cutting down healthy trees.
‘Wimbledon will be the top, where they are as they have always been and as they continue to be, without desecrating this glorious glorious landscape.’
Earlier at a protest against a council ruling for the plans she had said: ‘Let them arrest me. I live in a flat overlooking this magnificent landscape, which was designed by Capability Brown.
‘The club talk about planting new trees, but can you imagine how long it would take for newly planted trees to give the benefits that we now get from mature trees?
‘I look several times a day out of the window and it gives me strength to carry on. It gives me inspiration.’
Thelma Ruby, who has appeared in Coronation Street and on stage alongside Orson Welles and Judi Dench , has lived in a penthouse flat on Wimbledon Hill Road for over three decades
Demonstrations were held in October and Save Wimbledon Park have started a petition that has gathered over 21,000 signatures
Demonstrations were held in October and Save Wimbledon Park have started a petition that has gathered over 21,000 signatures.
The AELTC have conducted an extensive public consultation process that has seen over 7,000 members of the public attend tours and information events on the site since applications were first submitted.
The tennis club has expressed concerns that Wimbledon could fall behind the other Grand Slam tournaments if the expansion works are not carried out. With the additional courts, Wimbledon would also be able to bring qualifying events on-site, instead of hosting the preliminary rounds at the Community Sport Centre in Roehampton.
But the AELTC maintains that the expansion project is a ‘double win’ for the community and will bring an annual benefit of approximately £296million to the London economy.