Mudchute Park and Farm to launch legal action against council

9 May 2025 Sophie Howarth

Mudchute Park and Farm in the Isle of Dogs have launched a fundraising campaign to fund legal action against Tower Hamlets Council over a lease dispute.

Mudchute Park and Farm in the Isle of Dogs has announced they will be taking legal action against Tower Hamlets Council over a lease dispute and launched a fundraising campaign to cover legal costs.

Managed by the Mudchute Association, the charity’s 20-year-old lease ran out in June 2024 – a lease that the charity says it had been working to renew since 2019.

The charity has continued to operate under a law that protects long-standing tenants, but says they cannot apply to many of the grants they depend on without the security of a long-term lease. The Mudchute Association is seeking a 15-year lease, the maximum permitted by the same law that protects long-standing tenants.

A Slice investigation in February found that several non-profit Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations were being edged out of their leases, with at least 15% of the organisations in the Council’s VCS portfolio struggling to renew or retain their leases.

Mudchute Park and Farm, which has 32 acres of countryside and is home to over 100 animals and a children’s nursery, is calling for support from the community.

The charity said on their JustGiving page: ‘While we’re committed to finding a fair and amicable solution with our landlord, we now face the reality of needing to take formal legal action to secure Mudchute’s future. This is where we need your help.

‘As a charity, we don’t have the resources to fund this legal process alone. We’re appealing to our community to help us raise the funds we need to continue this vital work and protect everything Mudchute stands for.’

In 2019, former mayor John Biggs agreed to grant a new lease to the Mudchute Association for 99 years at a peppercorn rent, but no lease had been signed.

A Tower Hamlets spokesperson said: ‘We are in ongoing discussions with The Mudchute Association to reach a resolution on the grant of a new lease that will benefit the community. While council policy for community properties is generally for shorter-term leases, we have proposed an extended lease length to support an agreement.

‘We remain committed to supporting the charity’s work, including providing letters of support for external funding where appropriate while a new lease is finalised.’

If you like this article, read Council receives second-worst grading from social housing regulator after ‘serious failings’

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