• 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 have been given the green light after the deputy mayor of London ruled that the “very significant benefits” of the scheme outweighed any potential harm to the environment.

Speaking at the end of a three-hour public hearing at City Hall, Jules Pipe said it was right for the All England Lawn Tennis Club to be granted planning permission to expand from 41 to 115 hectares on the site of the old Wimbledon Park golf course.