News

Confirmation of the sale of Udney Park playing fields was confirmed in the local press igniting hopes that the fields can be returned to community use https://teddingtontown.co.uk/2023/07/06/teddingtons-udney-park-playing-fields-back-on-the-market/

The Foundation have contacted the representatives of Mr Wu in order to put in motion an offer for the purchase of the playing fields. The site is designated as an ACV, and is currently under a moratorium which prevents the sale of the land to anyone other than a Community Interest Company (CIC) for a six month period.

A year ago, Quantum abandoned plans to build luxury apartments and a doctor’s surgery on 50% of the playing area and sold the site to another developer. Now the fields are to be sold again. Quantum concluded that Udney Park playing fields could not be developed This was not before they had spent between £3m and £4m on trying to overturn planning restrictions. The site has an ACV designation under the Localism Act, so once Quantum decided to sell, they were obliged to engage with the community bid for a six-month moratorium period, during which time they could not sell to anyone else. No meaningful engagement took place within this period. A direct appeal to Lord Fink (the Chair of Quantum), by our local MP Munira Wilson, was effectively ignored.

Jonathan Dunn, the Chairman of the Udney Park Community Fields Foundation, wrote to the representatives of the owners of Udney Park at the end of March, to express concern about the deterioration of the war memorial pavilion. A copy of this open letter is as below –

Giving women and girls the opportunity to play sport was at the forefront of the Udney Park proposal. I would therefore love to give an upcoming game of rugby a special mention

Thamesians RFC are one of the stakeholder clubs in the Foundation. In the last five years they have had to move pitches three times (from Marble Hill to Waldegrave School to St Marys University).