A scout troop has secured £70,000 of funding after a heartfelt plea to a council committee.

The 19th Wimbledon Scouts were awarded the cash as part of a Merton Council deal that gave permission for 79 homes to be built at the Atkinson-Morley hospital site in Wimbledon.

The scouts were expecting to gain permission to extend their hut on the Copse Hill site as part of the deal but still needed money to fund the work.

Richard Bowyer, chairman of the 120-member troop, said the unit was “a success story that needed a helping hand to help itself”.

The money will come from a pot given to the council by developer Berkely homes to benefit the community in return for planning permission – known as a section 106 agreement.

The company, which is set to build properties worth up to £5m on the historic site, will also donate £10,000 to the scouts.

Sports pitches and a pavilion will be built on the site and handed over to the public, along with an area of grassland.

Environment groups called on the council to form a community trust as soon as possible to manage the transferred land.

The Atkinson-Morley hospital was once a world-leading centre for brain surgery but closed in 2003, when its services were transferred to St George’s Hospital in Tooting.

At least one of the biggest homes planned for the site, which includes the 19th century hospital building and more modern staff accommodation, will feature an indoor pool and home cinema.

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