Furious residents booed the decision to approve a new bar and three-storey building in Wimbledon Village, which they said would damage their quality of life.

About 50 residents turned out to a meeting of Merton Council’s planning committee last week to hear a decision on the site of the disused King of Denmark pub, with some jeering the announcement.

Neighbours are worried about noise and smell from the new building and beer garden, as well as increased local traffic - although the developer said his scheme would boost the area.

Andrew Pinchin has been given the green light to knock down the 1930s-built pub on the Ridgway, which sits in a conservation area, and replace it with a building including a bar and restaurant on the ground floor and nine flats on the upper floors.

The bar would have a beer garden, which opponents said would allow customers to smoke and drink less than 2m away from the windows of neighbouring cottages.

Peter Hirsch, of the St John’s Area Residents’ Association, spoke against the plans during the meeting at Morden’s civic centre last Thursday.

This week he said: “There are two reasons we are upset. For people who live close it’s the back garden - the smoking, the noise and light. For the bigger community it’s the traffic.”

Mr Hirsch said while the site had hosted a pub for many years, the new plans were for a “massive operation” that could hold up to 200 customers.

He said expensive legal bills could make challenging the decision impossible.

He added: “I haven’t met a single resident who is in favour.”

Mr Pinchin said some people were not giving the idea of a new building a chance. He said: “It is designed to be an attractive amenity for Wimbledon.”

Plans for a similar building were passed on appeal last year - but the developer launched another application so the office space approved in the original bid could be replaced with flats.