How did we get here!!

The Foundation have written to Lord Fink asking for an explanation as to how this land ended up getting sold to an international criminal.

Dear Lord Fink

You may recall that in 2022, you were asked, as Chairman of AHH, to intervene over the sale of Udney Park.

• Udney Park article in Private Eye
• Will Lord Fink intervene over sale of Udney Park

At the time AHH had engaged Savills to sell these community playing fields. A twelve-month sales campaign followed and only two serious bidders emerged.

AHH chose to reject a fully funded seven-figure community bid from the charity which I chair. This would have returned the site to full community use and released vital playing space to local sports clubs.

Udney Park Playing Fields are a 1922 war memorial to the fallen of Merchant Taylors School (a school with which you have close links), and I hoped this would have triggered some sympathy at the time.

Instead, AHH accepted a higher offer of £3.5m from a Mr Wu.

There were various aspects of this sale that should have raised alarm bells.

• Mr Wu bid for the land via a BVI with opaque ownership arrangements
• The name of this company was changed at the time of sale from Wealth Creation to Leisure Focus
• Not a single other bid had emerged despite Savills strenuous efforts, other than from Mr Wu - apart from the charity bid. This was due to the planning restrictions of which AHH were very much aware
• Mr Wu did not carry out any due diligence – not even going as far as a pre-app

It is apparent that in selling this land to Mr Wu, AHH have sold to a criminal who is the number two in an international crime network.

Wu has four known different identities.

I base these facts on a recent article in The Times



Mr Wu is now sanctioned in the UK, and Udney Park is a frozen asset.

• Where did the money come from that was paid by Mr Wu to AHH?
• What due diligence was carried out on Mr Wu and the opaque BVI company through which he purchased the land?
• Did the AHH solicitors and estate agents raise any concerns at the time?

I would appreciate your comments, as this is a matter of heightened public interest with the fields remaining out of community use.

I am seeking political pressure to be exerted to shortcut the return of these fields to the community. Given your past involvement with this site, maybe you can help in some way?

Regards

Jonathan Dunn
Chair Udney Park Community Fields Foundation