admin

We’ve been shortlisted at The Public Affairs Awards for Planning Campaign of the Year, for our work on the successful campaign to bring the Dons back to Wimbledon.

Thorncliffe was hired by the team behind AFC Wimbledon to support their planning application to Merton Council for over 600 homes and a new football stadium at Plough Lane, Wimbledon, on the site of Wimbledon dog track.

The team faced staunch opposition from the political leadership of neighbouring Wandsworth Council, opposition from people who liked going to the famous greyhound stadium (the last in postcode London), and vociferous and hostile opposition from some in the local community.

Despite this, over the course of the project, we achieved:

• A thorough and engaging consultation which reached over 7,000 people and delivered unanimous planning consent from Merton’s planning committee
• An active campaign with 5,000 supporters to convince two successive Mayors of London not to intervene and overrule the council, despite both previously opposing the plans, and
• Overwhelming support to persuade the Secretary of State not to call in the decision.

The decision by Gavin Barwell and Sajid Javid in October not to call in the application finalised the deal to ensure the Dons came back to Wimbledon and left Merton clear to give the team a final planning consent; precisely the outcome our clients wanted to achieve.

Congratulations to AFC Wimbledon for overcoming the last major political hurdle to bringing the Dons back to their spiritual home on Plough Lane.

At Thorncliffe, we’ve witnessed first-hand the passion the fans and others have displayed for this development, with so many getting involved in writing to the council, the (two) Mayors of London, and most recently the Secretary of State.  It’s been an inspiration.

The timetable went as follows:

• Last December, Merton Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the Club’s plans for a 20,000 seater stadium (initially 11,000) and 600 residential homes.  This followed a thorough consultation process with thousands engaging in the process.
• Despite favourable reports from the Mayor’s Office towards the scheme, the then Mayor of London decided to call in the application for review in March this year.  In July, the new Mayor of London handed the decision back to Merton.
• This week, following a request from Wandsworth Council to the Department of Communities and Local Government to intervene, the Secretary of State decided not to call in this application.

AFC Wimbledon has enjoyed an astonishing rise since starting again in the ninth tier of English football in 2002.  This master plan aims to cater for growing support as Wimbledon progress up the Football League.  We wish them well.