New Year must bring new life to Beddington Farmlands

CPRE London joins calls from local campaigners for Beddington Farmlands nature reserve vision to become reality amid more delays

The 120-hectare site at Beddington Farmlands in Sutton was planned to open as a nature reserve by 31 December 2023. It was a pre-requisite for the opening of the nearby incinerator. But unfortunately this anniversary was not a cause for celebration as it still remains closed to the public.

The proposal for South London’s newest wetland habitat was first pitched nearly 20 years ago. Sutton’s Wandle Valley Forum conservation group told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the Hyde Park-sized site was “one of the largest environmental opportunities in London”.

Frustration

While Valencia Waste Management (VWM), which operates the landfill site, where the incinerator is located, urges they are making progress towards opening, the Wandle Valley Forum is frustrated. Specifically, with VWM’s inability to deliver on its promise and Sutton Council’s slow approach to legal enforcement. Bird hides have been installed and are accessible by a public path, but the reserve remains incomplete. It is also unsuitable for birds like the endangered Lapwing, which the nature reserve was supposed to provide a home for.

Issues with the delivery of the farmlands, including the inability to provide biodiversity-friendly acid grassland, are blamed for delays. According to a recent assessment, around 80 per cent of biodiversity tasks had not yet been started on the site.

CPRE London’s Head of Campaigns Alice Roberts supports local campaigners in tolerating no more excuses. “Local people and endangered wildlife have waited too long for Beddington Farmlands to become a fully functioning nature reserve. This vital area of wetlands in a largely industrial area was promised as part of the plan to build the incinerator and it must be realised. VWM and the council must ensure the vision becomes a reality in 2025.”

Find out more about CPRE London’s work to protect our capital’s green spaces, here