Reviving Teddington Police Station: Community Hub & Homes

0:00On March 27, exciting plans are emerging to revive the old Teddington Police Station in South London. Architects from AWK proposed turning the derelict site into 21 affordable flats, a GP surgery with five consultation rooms, an indoor and outdoor cinema, a bar, and a co-working cafe. The station shut to the public back in 2017, hit the market in 2021, and got fully decommissioned by the Metropolitan Police. The next year, though still owned by the Met and up for sale, these designs haven't reached a planning application stage yet. Local MP Munira Wilson has championed this for years, securing a law chain so the mayor's office for policing and crime can sell sites like this, below market value for community use. She aims to house the expanding park road GP surgery there while providing homes for key workers and young people priced out of the area. The proposal includes a community land trust for locals to own and manage the housing part, plus self-built options where buyers handle construction.

1:04To lower developer risks, a specialist investor would tackle the cinema as part of AWK's pro bono push for social projects. Full details hit AWK's website next month, and they'll refine the plans if a developer jumps in. This could blend housing solutions with vital community spaces, easing isolation for older residents and affordability walls for the young in a well-connected spot.