Teddington's MP Munira Wilson has raised Udney Park's long-running ownership battle in Parliament in a bid to return the playing fields to community ownership.

Speaking in January this year, the MP described how the sports ground "have gone to rack and ruin over the past decade," as a number of private developers have repeatedly failed to receive planning permission to build on the site.

Under Secretary of State for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society, Stuart Andrew, responded with a commitment to "raise the specific issue [the MP] mentioned with my colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities".

He also commended the MP's constituency's campaigners for the "tremendous amount of work" they do.

He went on to comment: "Frankly, without these people, we would not have so many people being physically active".

This has now been followed with a letter from Ms Wilson, outlining the urgency of the issue given the imminent end of the playing fields' six-month moratorium period.

"My constituency has a strong history of grassroots sport, but our local football, cricket, rugby and other clubs just don't have the space to play," she wrote.

The 15 March deadline represents the end of a six-month delay on the site's sale, during which campaigner groups are expected to secure funding and negotiate the purchase of Udney Park with its current owners on behalf of the community.

Hampton Wick resident Jonathan Dunn, who was mentioned by name in Parliament's discussion, is the founder of local campaign group Udney Park Community Fields Foundation. 

The foundation was set up in June 2021 with the aim of securing the playing fields for community use.

He announced an offer to purchase the fields had been submitted last month (6 February), with the current owner Leisure Focus expected to respond before the deadline later this month.

In a previous communication to Ms Wilson in 2023, a representative from the company said that while they had been "looking at potential leisure options that meet planning policy requirements and the expectations of local community groups". 

However, the company said it had "been unable to devise a suitable compromise" with locals.

It remains to be seen if the latest bid from Mr Dunn will change this.