A DEBATE on the sale and future use of Teddington Police Station will take place in Parliament tomorrow (23 Feb).

A Westminster Hall debate led by Twickenham MP Munira Wilson on the issue will start at 11am and be broadcast on parliamentlive.tv.

It comes after Teddington GP surgery Park Road and Richmond Housing Partnership (RHP) put in an unsuccessful bid to buy the site, which closed last year due to Met Police budget cuts.

There are now fears that the old police station may be sold to the highest bidder and used to develop luxury flats close to the high street.

MP Wilson originally campaigned against the station's closure but is backing plans to turn it into new premises for the GP practice and affordable housing.

Last week the Lib-Dem MP launched a petition calling for the site to be kept for community use and will be submitting it to the Mayor of London, whose Deputy is overseeing the sale, for consideration.

In the petition, Wilson writes that Teddington's Park Road Surgery "urgently needs more space," adding that there is a "desperate need for more affordable housing for local key workers and young people who have been priced out of the housing market in our area."

Last year, house prices across the borough rose significantly more than the London and UK averages - likely due to the area's high quality of life and recognition by national newspapers as one of the UK's top places to live.

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Wilson adds: "The sale of this precious site provides a rare opportunity to transform a publicly owned building into a community asset with health services fit for the 21st century."

Westminster Hall debates are different to usual House of Commons ones in that there is no question and - usually - no voting on it takes place.

Backbenchers apply for debates to raise local or national issues that are important to them, with the opportunity to get a response from a government minister.

Debates in Westminster Hall can be watched HERE