TEDDINGTON’S UDNEY PARK PLAYING FIELDS BACK ON THE MARKET!
Teddington’s Udney Park is back on the market after the current Chinese-owned company, Leisure Focus based in the British Virgin Islands delivered news of the shock decision to sell the playing fields in an email to MP Munira Wilson.
The future of the site has been in question since it was sold by Imperial College in 2015, with community groups campaigning since then to preserve the much-needed playing fields for community sport in and around Teddington.
The lack of playing fields space for training and fixtures is a significant issue for sports clubs across Richmond Borough.
Now that Udney Park is back on the market, community groups are urging the current owner to consider selling to community interest groups.
Over the last ten months Leisure Focus had explored developing the site to incorporate a badminton centre with six playing courts to site alongside the playing fields. Badminton courts require 9m headroom and the proposal was to submerge these courts 6m into the ground which the company was not financially viable, nor was there any prospect of this proposal overcoming planning hurdles.
Twickenham MP Munira Wilson highlighted the campaign in Parliament last year during a debate on women and girls’ participation in sport, where she pointed to the need for more community sports spaces in the community.
Munira said: “Playing sport can change people’s lives, build their confidence and bring communities together. Yet I hear from so many local sports clubs, including those with thriving junior sections, who are desperately short of pitch time.
“We have a golden opportunity to bring the precious playing fields at Udney Park back into the hands of the community for everyone to enjoy, and I urge the current owners to accept a bid from the Udney Park Foundation.”
Jonathan Dunn is the driving force behind the Udney Park Community Fields Foundation, a charity back by local sports clubs and other community stakeholders. The Foundation’s plans for the site can be viewed on their website.
Jonathan said: “Our aim is to encourage and support accessible and affordable sports, leisure, and cultural activities, and in so doing contribute to the health and well-being of local people. We will be putting in a renewed bid for the playing fields. We have engaged with Leisure Focus since their purchase of the land last August, so we hope this engagement can continue and a sale can be agreed.”
He added: “Leisure Focus have maintained dialogue with the Foundation throughout their period of ownership, and the hope now is that a meaningful discussion can take place about the purchase of these playing fields. The restrictions to development are now much greater than when Quantum purchased the site so hopefully minds will be concentrated on finding a solution that works for all parties.
“I would like to thank the Udney Park Trust for their fight to protect the fields from development, and to thank Munira Wilson for playing such an active role in fighting for the return of Udney Park to community ownership. Hopefully together we can create a momentum to make this a reality in the weeks and months ahead.”
Leisure Focus bought the site from previous owner Quantum in August 2022. Quantum put Udney Park up for sale after their own development plans were rejected by a planning inquiry.
In a communication to MP Munira Wilson, a representative for Leisure Focus said they had been ‘looking at potential leisure options that meet planning policy requirements and the expectations of local community groups’ but that they had ‘been unable to devise a suitable compromise’.
Leisure Focus further stated that they would welcome a discussion with community interest groups about options for the site, but it is not yet clear whether they would be prepared to sell the fields at a heavily discounted valuation for community sports use.
The shock decision of the new owners to sell after such a short time has united local councillors, the Teddington Society and the Udney Park Playing Fields in backing the Foundation’s plan.
The Friends of Udney Park Playing Fields were set up in 2014 when Imperial College announced their intention to sell. The Friends incorporated into the Trust and have been instrumental in fighting plans for residential development on the site, as well as dedicated to preserving the War Memorial playing fields for amateur sport.
Chair of the Trust Mark Jopling, said: “After sales processes in 2015 and 2022 that had Richmond Council demand corrections from the selling agents that Udney Park be marketed as a community playing field, not a ‘residential development opportunity’, it is time to adhere to the legal protections on Udney Park. Nine years is long enough.
“Udney Park must now be owned and operated by the community, as the original donating War Memorial charity and the Asset of Community Value legislation intends.”
The Teddington Society has also worked tirelessly to preserve Udney Park, and recently applied to renew the site’s status as an ‘Asset of Community Value’.
Local councillors have consistently campaigned against development on Udney Park, and insisted that the strong planning protections are respected. Apart from being an important sporting site, Udney Park is also a critical part of a connected ecology network of local parks and river embankments.
Councillor Robin Brown commented: “The playing fields are designated as local green space and also play an important role in the ecology of the area. We have long pressed for the site to be properly maintained and used for community sport. We are fully supportive of the community plan being led by the Foundation, which is the best way to secure the future of Udney Park.”
