Concerns over restoration of South London reserve

Concerns over the restoration of a South London reserve are building, with delays mounting and conservation targets not being met.

Beddington Farmlands is one of the most famous birding locales in London and the Surrey vice-county, with a rich history of ornithological coverage. Returning the former sewage works and landfill site to a nature reserve was one of the conditions of the building of an incinerator, granted in 2013. It was supposed to be completed by the end of 2023 but this did not happen – and new landowner, Valencia Waste Management, has recently revealed revised plans for the site. Objections to these plans can be found here.

While the new plans do offer some public access and relative protection for endangered species, campaigners who have experienced previous consultations believe these proposals are delayed and inadequate. They expressed these concerns in a recent consultation on the revised plans for what could become one of London's newest nature reserves.

Beddington Farmlands supports a fantastic variety of wildlife and has a long track record of producing rare and unusual birds (Peter Alfrey).

Said delays and mismanagement have already led to the disappearance of the site's famous colony of Tree Sparrow, which was the last in Surrey and one of very few in London, with nesting waders also negatively impacted by the lack of habitat restoration.

In her official response to the proposals, Lysanne Horrox, Chair of the Hackbridge and Beddington Corner Neighbourhood Development Group (HBCND) said: 
"Due to ineffective management by Viridor and now Valencia and an inability for them to be held to account, the current plan for the restoration of Beddington Farmlands has failed to meet its objectives.

"This has resulted in large areas of still unrestored habitat, the loss of key wildlife species, and an undetermined commitment to the provision of public access. Valencia had the opportunity and legal obligations to deliver and manage all non-contested habitats by the end of 2023 but refused to do so."

Local birder Peter Alfrey, who has been campaigning for Beddington for nearly three decades, echoed these concerns: "The proposals were teed up earlier this year as being worse than they presented. Although I think that is a strategy to manage expectations. I was quite pleased to see some of the wetland habitats were still being proposed as part of the restoration.

"The big amendment was that they are no longer going to create acid grassland, but that was known about for a long time anyway. The loss of the acid grassland means there will be a big reduction in the quality of the habitat."

Beddington Farmlands has a long history of producing rare and interesting birds. 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.