An administrative court in Paris has nullified an agreement between Roland Garros and the city to expand the tournament grounds, saying local residents’ concerns weren’t addressed enough, and the fee the French Tennis Federation would pay to the City is too low.
The Administrative Court has given the City of Paris two months to terminate its agreement with the FFT.
The $441 million dollar expansion—which also includes the building of new mini-stadiums, as well as a retractable roof and lights over the center court—had been approved by the City and championed by Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, but various neighborhood and environmental groups continued to fight against it, as it would encroach on the nearby botanical gardens.
The FFT and the City of Paris are expected to attempt to work out a new agreement, as both sides want to keep the tournament in the city, but it is possible that FFT will revisit bids from Versailles, Gonesse, and Marne-la-Vallee (near Euro Disney), which lost out its the bid from the current site at Porte d'Auteuil in 2011.