The expansion of Roland Garros, the historic home of the French Open, was on Thursday "given the green light by a Paris court after winning a long-running legal battle," according to the AFP. The Paris High Court found in favor of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) over a planned €400M ($434M) redevelopment of the site in the "plush western sector of Paris." Development of the new 5,000-seat stadium in the Serres d'Auteuil had been "hampered by protests over the impact the work would have on the botanical garden's historic greenhouses which date back to the 19th century." The court dismissed protests by Laurence and Virginia Formige, great grand-daughters of architect Jean-Camille Formige. FFT General Dir Jeremy Botton said, "This is a decision without ambiguity. We feel victory is close. Work has restarted and will not stop again." He added the court should be ready by '19. The issue is "far from closed however with the Formige heirs set to appeal again" with a new judicial appointment already scheduled for early '17 (AFP, 11/11).
