Quantum spent £4m trying to overcome the planning restrictions at Udney Park playing fields before selling the site against a backdrop of total losses of around £6.5m. Since their sale of the land two years ago to Mr Wu, planning restrictions have continued to be tightened.
The position today could not be clearer -
- There is no prospect of PP for any residential development due to LGS designation/ this would not be a permitted use of land/ Sports England objection.
- The single Pre-App received during the Quantum sales campaign was to accommodate Padel tennis and was not encouraged.
- Parking and highways considerations prevent any prospect of a development of the small the car park.
- The new local plan policy map now includes Local View ref B2.1 over the playing fields.
- Udney Park has been added as a new Site of Importance for Nature Conservation ‘SINC’ (borough Grade) in the Draft Local Plan - the site boundary for the SINC includes the car park on the policy map.
- The new Local Plan has been submitted to the inspector - this process is expected to be completed by the end of the year. In the interim period, the draft Local Plan would still carry weight in any planning decision.
- Number 83 Udney Park Road adjoins the car park. A planning application was submitted to demolish the existing bungalow and replace it with two semi-detached houses. This was refused in June 23 for various reasons including the over dominant and incongruous effect of the scale/ height/ bulk/ massing/ siting and design on the local streetscene, the impact on neighbour amenity and issues with protected species.
Added to the above, the local Trust have presented a submission to extend OOLTI and LGS to the car park.
Mr Wu announced his intention to sell this land in June 2023. No-one has sought planning advice in the interim period presumably because any potential bidder recognises that there are impossible hurdles to overcome, and that the only acceptable use of the fields is for community sport. This site has zero hope value for any developer and to suggest otherwise is a fantasy.
Given this reality and in the absence of any interest in a purchase of these fields, Mr Wu will now hopefully rethink his strategy and enter meaningful dialogue to sell to the community.
