Twickenham's parliamentary candidates have found common ground over support for a local campaign to bring Udney Park Playing Fields under community ownership.

Candidates Jonathan Hulley (Conservative), Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat), Tom Bruce (Labour), and Alex Starling (Reform), along with South Twickenham's Green Party councillor Richard Benett, spoke at a hustings on Friday 28 June.

Upon questioning from the Udney Park Playing FieldsTrust, all backed the use of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) by Richmond Council to force the current owners of the playing fields to sell the site.

Mr Hulley supported the use of CPO, saying he thought it scandalous that the community had no right to use Udney Park given its Asset of Community Value status.

The candidate urged the Council to use their existing powers to serve notice on the owner requiring them to restore Udney Park while the CPO process is set in motion.  

Campaigners say vandals caused significant damage to the fields' pavilion in September 2022. Repairs have not been carried out despite the owner agreeing to undertake emergency roof repairs two months later. (Photos: Udney Park Community Fields Foundation)

Mr Starling, the Reform Candidate, considered it unacceptable that property speculators should be allowed to try and profit from the site given its origins as a War Memorial, and favoured a CPO. 

Mr Bruce, the Labour Party candidate and Hounslow Councillor, stated that the CPO procedure had been used in Hounslow when necessary and could be used to acquire Udney Park 

Ms Wilson, Liberal Democrats, supported the return of the fields to community use, pointed to her record of raising Udney Park in Parliament several times and would back a CPO. 

Green Party councillor Mr Bennett, who was on the council committee which rejected ex-owners Quantum's planning application, also expressed his support for a CPO, as well as his concern regarding the lack of community access to the fields since their sale by Imperial College in 2015.

Udney Park has a history of developers trying to develop the 12.5-acre site despite its Asset of Community Value status, resulting in repeated failed attempts to acquire planning permission from Richmond Council.

The Udney Park Community Fields Foundation charity, chaired by Teddington resident Jonathan Dunn, has offered to purchase the fields from its current owners on behalf of the community.

However, its plans recently came under threat from a competing offer from Keith Williams, another local resident.

According to the group's website, Mr Williams claims his currently undisclosed plans for the site will generate an annual return of £350,000 for a number of unnamed investors.

Udney Park Community Fields Foundation, commented that it "stands ready, willing and able to run the fields at no public cost, and acquire them from the council at their true playing field value, so rendering the process fiscally neutral for the Council.

"Ten years of ownership by speculators denying public amenity is beyond enough."

The foundation added: "There is unanimous and strong political backing from all parties standing in Twickenham that they will back the community request for Richmond Council to start the CPO process to secure Udney Park Playing Fields forever."