Here is what the Mitcham fire station site could look like if flats plans are approved

In July the Wimbledon Times reported the site in Lower Green West had been purchased by Parkside Property Limited for £670,000.

During the pre-application stage, secretary of civic society Mitcham Cricket Green Community & Heritage, Tony Burton, criticised the plans to convert the building into seven flats.

Now that the designs of what those flats could look like (a number which has since increased to nine), his stance hasn't changed.

"The former Mitcham fire station is a much loved building whose character and setting needs to be retained," he said.

"The new flats plans fail on all counts.

"They are poorly designed, take away protected Town Green, block rights of way, damage the setting of the listed war memorial and must surely be rejected out of hand by Merton Council.

"We ask the new owners to engage with the local community or risk repeating the planning saga of the nearby Cricketers flats which took five planning applications and three appeals to get permission."

His main issue with the designs? That it "fails to recognise the adjacent war memorial" and that the development would "damage its setting."

"This is one of the most sensitive sites in Cricket Green," Mr Burton added.

"Visible from many angles it is at the heart of the Conservation Area and the former fire station is both locally listed and located on one of our network of registered town greens.

"The design is poor with a jarring elevation facing the war memorial and an oversized and unsympathetic rear extension using inappropriate materials."