• Deputy mayor gives go-ahead after City Hall hearing
• Residents objected to 39-court plan for Wimbledon Park

Wimbledon’s controversial plans to build 39 new tennis courts on protected metropolitan open land have been given the green light.

The decision was taken by the deputy mayor of London, Jules Pipe, after a three-hour hearing at City Hall where campaigners and the All-England Lawn Tennis Club clashed over the scheme’s potential economic benefits and how much it will affect the environment.