Major building work in Merton will change the face of the area forever.

Hundreds of homes are being created across the borough as part of redevelopment on sites, including the former Nelson Hospital and the former Emma Hamilton pub, both in Kingston Road, Wimbledon.

Kingston Road has three housing developments springing up – the building work on the corner of Palmerston Road has a huge crane on the site that can be seen for miles around.

Hoardings surround the derelict Emma Hamilton pub site, where four and five-storey blocks of flats with retail space are being built.

But it is not just new housing residents will notice this year.

The Rediscover Mitcham project will see the area regenerated over a three-year period, with work including restoration of the clock tower, changes to the bus services and improvements to the Fair Green area.

Morden and Colliers Wood recently had cash approved for redevelopment, although plans about what changes will be made are in the early stages.

But not everyone agrees with the regeneration.

President of the Wimbledon Society Norman Plastow, 85, said architecture has become standardised.

Mr Plastow, a lifelong Wimbledon resident and professional architect, said: “I don’t think it is a good thing for the area.

“We are seeing interesting buildings being knocked down and the only thing replacing them are less interesting than the originals.

“We have come to live in a world where things are standardised.”

Mr Plastow, who had a gallery named after him, said the Atkinson Morley Hospital, in Copse Hill, Wimbledon, was an example of an interesting building being redeveloped.