Beddington Farmlands: A premier urban nature
reserve for the Wandle Valley Regional Park
Beddington Farmlands is a 161 hectare (400 acre) site in the coreland of the wider Wandle Valley Regional Park. Together with the adjacent green spaces of Beddington Park and Mitcham Common, Beddington Farmlands forms one of the largest contiguous green spaces in south London.
Beddington Farmlands is an important area for wildlife and is classified a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation and Metropolitan Open Land (equivalent of Green Belt within an urban area). The site is being restored into a mosaic of important habitats for wildlife ahead of the development of a flagship nature reserve for people and nature.
“The ‘sleeping giant’ of London’s natural history world”
David Lindo, BBC broadcaster, writer and public speaker
Beddington Farm Bird Group
Beddington Farm Bird Group
Formed in 1992, the Beddington Farm Bird Group monitors breeding and wintering bird populations as well as migration at Beddington Farmlands. In addition, the bird group also carries out habitat management and restoration, working closely with site management. Key-holder membership includes site access, member-only events, and an annual wildlife report. More »
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Link to new MP speaking in House of Commons about the Beddington incinerator here : m.youtube.com/watch?v=zjyY0CpBcio
The Liberal Democrat post below appears not entirely complete- the new MP also wants to tackle congestion and air pollution and in air pollution that includes the 275 000 tonnes of co2 being emitted and the necessary carbon accounting and mitigation that requires. It’s good to hear the restoration of Beddington farmlands as a top priority. Agree we need accountability and mitigation for air pollution and congestion, negative impacts on the developing regional park and ecological impacts and need to see the incinerator as the next step in the journey to the circular and sustainable economy in Sutton.The new Tory MP in Carshalton and Wallington agreed that the ERF was a better solution to landfill, seemed impressed by the facility & professionalism of the staff working on site. He clarified that he would not campaign to decommission the ERF as this is the best solution we currently have to deal with our waste.
My observations on the presentation and the ERF visit that I organised with him: here: bit.ly/2up4Z6K
Councillor Manuel Abellan, , Chair of Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee
Rare Bird Alert! Not exactly Beddington Farmlands, just five minutes away along the Wandle Trail at Poulter's Park. A Yellow-browed Warbler from Siberia has been found in the company of 2 Siberian Chiffchaffs, 10 Common Chiffchaffs with a female Firecrest nearby.
Only the second record of Yellow-browed Warbler for the local area and the first time in winter.
More on the blog: peteralfreybirdingnotebook.blogspot.com/2020/02/south-london-sibe-hotspot.html
If birding along the permissive footpath and new public hides you can also tweet what you see. Please tag twitter.com/BeddingtonFarm
Beddington Farmlands (@BeddingtonFarm) | Twitter
twitter.com
The latest Tweets from Beddington Farmlands (@BeddingtonFarm). Campaign for a premier urban nature reserve in the Wandle Valley Regional Park, London. Bird sightings @bfbginfo. Londonbfnr.org.uk/
Website updated. The reserve should be fully complete and open to the public by the end of 2023 marking the end of a development that started in 1995- nearly 30 years in the making!
For more detailed information see the website and please invite your friends to this facebook page to follow the unfolding final stages and grand opening.
Beddington Farmlands | London's next major nature reserve
bfnr.org.uk
Home Beddington Farmlands: A premier urban nature reserve for the Wandle Valley Regional Park Beddington Farmlands is a 161 hectare (400 acre) site in the coreland of the wider Wandle Valley Regional ...The Beddington Farmlands Nature Reserve is effectively being sold as parent company Pennon are putting Viridor up for sale for £4 billion. Share price of Viridor has soared by 46% in last twelve months- a 10 year high.
Considering billions of pounds (contract value of the Beddington incinerator alone is £1 billion) are being made at Beddington Farmlands there really shouldn't be any corner cutting in costs to create a premier urban nature reserve for the London Borough of Sutton.
Sutton Council Extinction Rebellion Sutton
Following public feed back, the public bird hides on the permissive footpath have now been retro-fitted to provide viewing at various heights to allow views of the wildlife (and the incinerator) for everybody
The Parks, Open Spaces, Trees and Biodiversity Strategy for Sutton was launched last night at the Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee. The report can be read here: moderngov.sutton.gov.uk/documents/s69219/7a%20POSS%20v4%20Draft%20Final%20Version%20as%20at%205.1...
Although this is positive news, committee member Councillor Shields put forward the following motion to include this statement in the report “To protect all existing parks and green spaces in perpetuity, and LBS undertakes to never sell off or develop one square foot of the borough’s parks as established at today’s date.”
Unfortunately the council voted agaisnt that highlighting the fact that our local green spaces are potentially vulnerable.
Visitors to Beddington Farmlands can now view recent bird sightings and add their own sightings via the Ebird phone app or website using the new updated Beddington Farmlands Ebird Hotspot which can be found here:
ebird.org/hotspots?hs=L933099&yr=all&m=
Click on bar charts to see an extensive species list of the birds at Beddington farmlands and the time of year you might see them
Sadly new evidence is coming to light that once again calls into question the events surrounding permission being granted for the Beddington Farmlands Incinerator
insidecroydon.com/2019/12/10/senior-libdem-dined-with-viridor-days-before-incinerator-vote/
Senior LibDem dined with Viridor days before incinerator vote
insidecroydon.com
EXCLUSIVE: Our Sutton reporter, BELLE MONT, has uncovered proof that a close party colleague of MP Tom Brake was enjoying hospitality with the incinerator operator just four days before a crucial c...What seems to be a very fair comment today from another disappointed visitor. Viridor have said they will be making amendments to the hides in the near future but please remind them by emailing them directly (email on Page about).
" Visited here yesterday and I have to say I am extremely disappointed that not one of the hides is accessible. We are nearly in 2020 and still places are not designed with any thought to those with disabilities. It is so difficult to find places that are accessible but two of the hides here don't even cater for kids or short people. And to ask people to keep voices down low yet making paths to the hides using gravel is just ridiculous. There was the potential to really make this area available to all but whoever designed it really needs to go for some training in disability issues and discrimination"
Visited here yesterday and I have to say I am extremely disappointed that not one of the hides is accessible. We are nearly in 2020 and still places are not designed with any thought to those with disabilities. It is so difficult to find places that are accessible but two of the hides here don't even cater for kids or short people. And to ask people to keep voices down low yet making paths to the hides using gravel is just ridiculous. There was the potential to really make this area available to all but whoever designed it really needs to go for some training in disability issues and discrimination.
While good progress is now being made on the restoration, unresolved issues remain with the Beddington incinerator that can be partly addressed by Viridor investing more in the local area to mitigate for the risks it presents and the damage to the regional park it has created.
A strategy is currently being drawn up to present to Viridor and there is a meeting this week to develop that strategy. All are welcome.
As this group is a main petitioner that Tom Brake is referring to here, it must be stated for the record that Tom Brake was not involved in this campaign and various correspondences and requests for help were ignored. However good to see our local MP promoting the reserve development at last and also acknowledging the damaging delays and welcoming the increased accountability of Viridor.It is great that Viridor have provided extra resources in response to the petition calling for the restoration of Beddington Farmlands by 2023.
They’ve admitted to the council that they ‘dropped the ball’, and it’s great to see the difference a community initiative can make. I want to thank everyone that campaigned and signed the petition!
I will be sure to update you with its progress in the future.
The Beddington Farmlands incinerator emits 300, 000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide a year!!
insidecroydon.com/2019/11/09/beddington-farmlands-come-alive-as-wildlife-winter-wonderland/
Beddington Farmlands come alive as wildlife winter wonderland
insidecroydon.com
The cold fingers of winter might be touching us as we head into November, but as local naturalist PETER ALFREY observes, the wildlife sanctuary at Beddington Farmlands is full of life Following lot...Following lots of rain in combination with the new habitat improvements by Viridor there are currently over 3000 birds feeding at Beddington Farmlands. 60 bird species were counted today including (in pictures) Robins, Stonechats, Green Woodpecker, Reed Bunting and over 200 Teal. Also at least five Foxes.
More on the blog: peteralfreybirdingnotebook.blogspot.com/2019/11/beddington-farmlands-winter-counts.html
PETITION HEARING OUTCOME:
The committee acknowledged the delays on the restoration and were aware of the significant ecological harm that those delays had caused. Overall everyone in attendance supported the completion of the reserve and there was an acknowledgement by the Head of Planning that their enforcement team were working hard behind the scenes to discharge planning conditions. There was also an acknowledgement by the Chair that Sutton Council and local people had serious trust issues with Viridor and that Viridor needed to regain that trust. A decision was made to not take legal action but instead to call back Viridor to the Committee in six months time for a review of progress and then to call them back on regular basis until the project is completed and if the project is not completed by December 31st 2023 (the final deadline for completion with the planning condition) then legal action will be taken.
More on blog:https://peteralfreybirdingnotebook.blogspot.com/2019/10/beddington-farmlands-petition-hearing.html
www.wandlevalleyforum.org.uk/uploads/5/8/4/3/58438085/officers_report_critique-merged-compressed.pdf
Wandle Valley Forum critique of Planning Officers Report ahead of HEB Committee meeting on Tuesday where the council will decide whether to take legal action on Viridor for restoration delays at Beddington Farmlands
Many thanks to our friends for their support of Beddington Farmlands Nature Reserve
