French Open: Plans for movable roof at Roland Garros

Court Philippe Chatrier seats about 15,000 spectators

A retractable roof will be installed on centre court at Roland Garros in time for the 2016 French Open.

Court Philippe Chatrier will be renovated as part of £275m euro (£239.9m) renovation plans.

The Paris complex will expand into the neighbouring botanic gardens, where a new 5,000-seat court will be built.

Court Suzanne Lenglen will also be redeveloped this year and should be ready for completion by 2013.

The site in the 16th arrondissement of the French capital is significantly smaller than its Grand Slam counterparts in Melbourne, London and New York.

Of the four venues, only Wimbledon and the Australian Open have stadiums with retractable roofs.

The plans to utilise the neighbouring botanic gardens have been met with opposition from local residents and supporters of the gardens but Bertrand Delanoe, the mayor of Paris, said no plants will be harmed during the development of the new stadium.

"I would never have accepted to spoil this site," he said.

"The only thing I could accept was to make it more beautiful, because Roland Garros 2016 will not only be something modern that will be ready to welcome all of the athletes and the public and the companies also who are supporting those tournaments, but it will also make Paris more beautiful."

In February, the French Tennis Federation voted to keep the tournament in the centre of Paris rather than relocate to a new venue in the Parisian suburbs.