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 Wimbledon Hill Park. 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.
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Childrens Easter Egg Hunt and Nature Trail in Morley Park Saturday 23rd March 2024. Meet at 2.30 at the Pavilion (park entrance opposite 127 Cottenham Park Road)

Bring your children to join the egg hunt and learn a bit about the park's wildlife as they search for the eggs. Easter Bunny will be there to help.  Prizes for best Easter outfits and hats.

You can just turn up on the day but it would help with planning if you could email events@friendsofmorleypark.org.uk to say you are coming. No charge. Cash donations would be welcome to help cover costs. Children will need to be accompanied by an adult.


Berkley Homes' 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, and were scheduled to complete that summer, are complete but when the drainage system was resurveyed in autumn 2023 further issues were found. These require further remedial works. The final stage of the restoration of the playing fields, which were badly damaged by the works, cannot be implemented until the ground is drier. Hopefully it will be done in April 2024. That will be 2 years after the drainage work started!

 

The drainage that takes surface water from the Berkeley Homes development to the Thames Water sewer in Cottenham Park Road does now seem to be working well but the playing field drainage is not coping well with the wet weather. This is probably in part due to compaction of the ground, which might improve after the final pitch restoration works. However we fear the playing fields, especially at the southern end, will still be wet during the winter. 

Pat's Tree


An oak tree has been planted on the left of the path into the park as you enter it from Atkinson Close. This has been planted to celebrate the amazing contribution Pat Keith made to the creation of Morley Park. It was Pat who had the vision to see that this lovely open space could become a public park and saw the threat from development plans being worked on by the Council back in 1972. She was on the case from the start in 1972 and still playing an active role when the park finally opened in 2019. 


Exposed bare concrete retaining wall


Berkeley Homes’ current proposal for the bare concrete wall which is on the left as you enter the park from the Atkinson Close entrance is to leave it as is and plant in front of it. No planting which would hide the wall would be a permanent solution and would require maintenance. The wall should be clad with brick to provide a permanent solution ,and a standard of finish consistent with that elsewhere on their development. Berkeley Homes is trying to avoid incurring this cost. This reluctance to provide proper boundary treatment is not what you would expect to see on the Berkeley Homes ‘exquisitely crafted’ Wimbledon Hill Park development which is ‘set in one of South West London's most affluent and desirable locations’. 


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 .



Morley Park badgers at dusk under the bifurcated oak on the lower field – painting by Christiana Gilbert

Updated: 6 March 2024

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