An impression of the new show court as viewed from the parkland
Sustainable action With the AELTC intent on reducing emissions from its operations to net zero by 2030 , Smith says sustainability will be a key consideration throughout the construction project : “ It is a super important topic . There needs to be some significant changes across the building industry . Our focus is on producing less waste , using less materials , being more efficient and reducing transportation .
“ With the design for the new main court we have gone for a low-energy natural ventilation approach rather than the full-scale air conditioning running for a couple of weeks and then being left .
“ We have been using renewable energy for several years and have action plans across all estate areas – it ’ s a cohesive whole All England Club approach to sustainability .”
Community benefits Smith says AELTC already works closely with the local councils and community to provide sporting facilities , but the new parkland will be a major step forward : “ It will be a major public amenity , that space is not accessible at all at the moment , and there will be various sporting activities in the park including fishing and swimming . Outside of that we support tennis in the public park and then as you go further afield we ’ ve got our Wimbledon Foundation supporting activities in Wandsworth and Merton specifically .”
The Wimbledon Foundation provides grants totalling £ 125,000 a year to charities and community organisations tackling social problems in Merton and Wandsworth , the two local boroughs closest to Wimbledon . Organisations can apply for grants of up to £ 5,000 .
There is also the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative , which sees the AELTC coaching team visit around 65 state primary schools in Merton and Wandsworth every year to provide free coaching .
“ It is a major outreach programme for the club ,” says Smith .
It all aligns with the AELTC ’ s key stated objective for the Wimbledon Park Project – “ To deliver a positive impact for our local , national , and international communities .”
If successful , the project will ultimately greatly enhance the facilities of the UK ’ s premier tennis tournament and create a valuable new public space while respecting the existing environmental treasures , such as the park ’ s many ancient oaks . It ’ s a hugely challenging landscaping and civil engineering project that looks set to keep Smith and his team busy for years to come .
“ These sorts of applications are heavily scrutinised , there is a lot of legislation that goes with making an application like this and some people have been surprised by the amount of documentation we ’ ve prepared . If everything goes smoothly , we hope to have the early stages of construction under way within a couple of years .”
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