Council hopefuls have spoken out on how they would keep Merton a beautiful borough.

Four parties standing in next month’s local election have answered questions on planning and the environment from conservation group the Wimbledon Society.

The society, that asked the parties for their view on seven key conservation topics, released the answers this week.

Asked how they would improve planning control, Labour and the Conservatives both pledged to crack down on rogue developers - while the Liberal Democrats promised a clearer concept of how the borough should look and the Green Party called for more community involvement in the planning process.

The Lib Dems said they would create more open spaces in deprived areas, while the Greens promised more allotments.

Labour pledged to resist selling off park land to private businesses, and the Conservatives said they would adopt non-council owned land to increase the borough’s green space.

All four parties promised to stand against back garden developments.