Beddington Farmlands opens to the public

Part of Beddington Farmlands has been opened to the public, with a footpath and three new hides installed on the western side of the famous London site.

The permitted footpath that runs south from Mitcham Common along the western edge Beddington Farmlands to Beddington Park now has a point of access into the site, where three hides can be used to look over the North and South Lakes – two of the key areas of the sites – as well as a newly created patch of wet grassland.

Three new hides have been built, overlooking the North and South Lake and a newly created wet grassland (Steve Gale).

The footpath can be accessed in the north from the A237, just south of the Mitcham Junction Tramlink stop, in the south at Beddington Park in Hackbridge and also from Mile Road Bridge in Hackbridge. The closest entrance to the North Lake is Mile Road Bridge. The hides and wet grassland are part of a lengthy 10-year campaign from Beddington Farmlands Bird Group with owners Viridor, with the former made out of old ship containers.

Beddington Farmlands, situated in the vice-county of Surrey, has a long and rich birding history. Britain's first Glaucous-winged Gull famously visited the site on 18 April 2007, while the only Killdeer for both the London recording area and Surrey was present on 31 January-1 February 1984. These days, it hosts an ever-diminishing colony of Tree Sparrows – the last individuals in Surrey and one of the only colonies remaining in London.