Roland Garros get nod for new stadium works

Paris : The French Tennis Federation (FFT) were on Monday given the green light to continue work on anew stadium adjoining Roland Garros in western Paris by the country's highest administrative jurisdiction.

The French Conseil d'Etat (Council of State) overturned a March ruling that blocked development of a new 5,000-seat stadium in the Serres d'Auteuil due to protests over the impact the work might have on the botanical garden's historic greenhouses which date back to the 19th century.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo welcomed Monday's decision, insisting "this new Roland Garros (will) further strengthen the influence of French tennis worldwide" and be "a major asset" for the city's bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games.

Work can now continue on the site, which will include a covered court, until a further administrative court ruling expected in the coming weeks.

The FFT told AFP that the work would get underway "as quickly as possible" on a project which will "embellish" the site.

"We've lost too much time to allow another two or three months go by," FFT director general Jeremy Botton told AFP.

The historic Roland Garros site is the smallest of the four Grand Slams and when it rains, it becomes terribly congested with thousands of fans jostling for the few areas of cover.

But the planned 400-million-euro ($448 million) expansion of the grounds set in the leafy and plush western district of Paris was opposed by several local associations.

The judges of the Conseil d'Etat took into account "the nature and character of the planned buildings whose architecture will be in line with the historical Auteuil greenhouses which the project will leave intact".

The work, financed 95 percent by the FFT, is expected to be completed by 2020