Home

Morley Park is located in West Wimbledon, between Copse Hill and Cottenham Park Road. It has been leased to Merton Council by Berkeley Homes as part of the requirements of the planning consent for the Wimbledon Hill Park development. It comprises playing fields, a pavilion, woodland and meadow. The playing fields and pavilion are leased to the Ursuline High School. The foot and cycle path between Cottenham Park Road and Copse Hill (the north/south path), and the car park accessed from Cottenham Park Road, are also part of the park although not fenced within it. The cottage adjacent to the pavilion is also leased to the Council and the rental income from it should be used for the maintenance and improvement of the park.

News

Berkeley Homes' Drainage Works

Berkeley Homes will retain responsibility for the surface water drains in the park, and the attenuation pond, in perpetuity as they are part of the drainage system for their Wimbledon Hill Park development on Copse Hill.

The drainage works in the park that started in spring 2022, which were scheduled to complete that summer, were mostly complete by autumn 2023. Some remedial work extended into early 2024. However, the Council and FOMP are still waiting for details from some of the post works surveys, and for a report from the Berkeley Homes drainage consultant that the Council and FOMP consider meets requirements. Without those we can’t be sure everything has been done correctly, and that no further works will be required.

After a long series of failures to meet promised delivery dates for those reports, we were notified in October 2024 that the drainage consultant company employed by Berkeley Homes had gone into administration. The engineer who had worked on the Wimbledon Hill Park drainage plans for many years moved to another company and that company has taken on responsibility for completing the task. A report on the completed works has now been shared with the Council and FOMP who consider it not yet either complete or adequate. Most worryingly when an error in the modelling was corrected it suggested there would still be flooding in a very extreme weather event. The Council and FOMP are now waiting the consultant’s response to all the points they have raised.

On the brighter side there hasn’t been any flooding either in or from the park since the since the works were done but it hasn’t been tested in very severe conditions yet.

14 trees planted thanks to the generosity of Robert Holmes and Co

FOMP volunteers planted 14 native species trees in the nature conservation areas of the park in February 2025. They are on the slope down from Atkinson Close, just below the Berkeley Homes development, and in the woodland strips around the playing fields. Special thanks to Nick Holmes for all his help in making this possible.

The 14 trees are a mixture of field maple, rowan, elder, oak and hazel. We are trying to get a wide variety of species in all the wooded areas to increase resilience to disease. There are quite a lot of ash trees in the park and so far, no sign of ash dieback but we know there are trees that have it not far away.

2025 is a bumper year for amphibians in the pond

Toad spawn strings above the frogspawn in the picture opposite

And more newts than we have seen before

Which might mean fewer frogs reaching maturity this year.

Exposed bare concrete retaining wall

The Council decided it could not enforce the cladding of the ugly exposed concrete 'retaining' wall near the Atkinson Close entrance with brick, and Berkeley Homes did not have sufficient pride in its work, or concern for its reputation, to do so without being forced. We were disappointed but not surprised by this outcome. However, Berkeley Homes donated £300 to the Friends to fund planting in front of it to try and hide it. The trees were planted in autumn 2024.

Access to the Park

Morley Park opening and closing times are the same as other Council parks

There may be some variations in the precise opening times but the Council endeavour to open all parks by 8 a.m. midweek and 9 a.m. at weekends.

Generally the locking process begins around sunset and takes some hours to complete across the whole borough.

Public access

There is public access to all parts of the park except the playing fields when they are in use. There is public access to all paths at all times, including the path around the playing fields.

Park Gates currently open each day:

Cottenham Park Road, Woodland Walk, Atkinson Close

The gate north of the pavilion is normally locked.

The gate south of the pavilion is controlled by the Ursuline High School and not available for public access.

There is an exit only turnstile next to the Atkinson Close gate that is never locked.

Join Friends of Morley Park

The more members FOMP has the more we can do to protect and improve the park. As a member you will get email updates on park projects, issues and volunteering opportunities. Please join or renew your membership here .

Updated: 6 March 2025