FUTURE OF UDNEY PARK ROAD PLAYING FIELDS THROWN INTO DOUBT
The future of Udney Park playing field in Teddington has been thrown into doubt again after the mysterious Chinese owner, Mr Wu rejected the latest community offer.
The 12,5 acre site and the historic pavilion continue to fall into disrepair.
As a result, representatives of the the Udney Park Community Fields Foundation have met with planners to explore any possible planning relaxations that might allow a review of the land valuation.
Mr Wu’s disappointing response said: “‘ You have provided a robust analysis of the financial basis to the business plan and also the potential funding sources.
“However, at the moment no decision has yet been made by Mr Wu. I appreciate that not making a clear decision one way or the other will not be the outcome that you were hoping for but, as you will understand, Mr Wu would like to give consideration to other potential bidders for the site.’
Chair of the Foundation Jonathan Dunn said: “What can be concluded is that there is zero hope value for a residential development – something that Mr Wu appears to agree upon.
“There is also no hope value for a commercial sporting venture.”
“The tragedy of all this is that the fields and changing rooms remain out of use and at the same time various local sports clubs, and schools struggle for playing space.
“The changing rooms fall into further disrepair as water pours through gaping holes in the roof structure This issue has not been addressed during the tenure of Mr Wu despite various promises to do so following a joint inspection in November 2022.
“Whilst meaningful dialogue has been exhausted for now, the hope remains that Mr Wu will reconsider the bid submitted by the Foundation as kicking the can down the road does not seem like a good option for anyone. “
One option is for Richmond Council to issue a Compulsory Purchas Order (CPO) to acquire the land.
Local MP Munira Wilson has fully supported the purchase of the fields for community use and raised the issue in Parliament.
You can read more about the history and the campaign here: https://www.udneypark.co.uk/
