Residents who feared the construction of an eight-storey 'aparthotel' on their doorstep are celebrating the plan being blocked at appeal, but are miffed it took two months for them to discover this.
The national planning inspectorate rejected the developer's appeal in August to transform a row of Morden Road cottages into nine flats and a 31-bedroom hotel after it was rejected in April by Merton Council.
The blocked development proposal for 34-40 Morden Road
However, it was only after one resident stumbled upon the decision while browsing the planning website last week that they realised their campaign had been successful.
Andrew Boyce, who lives in a studio flat formerly at threat from development, said: "As you can imagine we were delighted and felt a huge sigh of relief.
"We are very grateful for Councillor Andrew Judge's brilliant support as a ward councillor. It just seemed a little bit odd not to be informed at the end given all that had happened with the council officers."
The incident is the latest in a series of poor communication with residents, after the council was forced to apologise when planning officers gave residents the wrong date for the public hearing, and told them they had six weeks to submit objections to the new proposal.
By chance, residents e-mailed their concerns to planning officers on the final day of the actual deadline, set at five weeks, not six, under national planning laws.
Coun Judge, cabinet member for environmental sustainability and regeneration, said he was on holiday when the appeal decision was made in August, and assumed residents had been informed when he got back.
Merton Council said it is the responsibility of the planning inspectorate to inform objectors to appeal about the decision.
The proposed development for 34-40 Morden Road, near South Wimbledon station was opposed by residents on the grounds it was high-density, short-term accommodation, offering reduced access to light to neighbouring properties.
They also objected to limited parking spaces and said the development was inappropriate land use for the area.
Residents say they have been warned developers are now planning a new proposal for a smaller development on the site. However, no applications have yet been published on the council's planning website.
Coun Judge said he is trying to get the row of 1820s cottages listed, to help protect them from similar developments.
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