Plans to restore Beddington Farmlands have been in the pipeline for decades, but much of the promised restoration remains undelivered
“This is one of the most important sites for wildlife in London,” said avid birdwatcher Pasha Dilan, gesturing beyond locked gates to a vast vista of rugged hills and lakes.
He had spent the afternoon with his sister trying to catch a glimpse of rare migratory birds, like the Wryneck, which had recently been spotted on the Beddington Farmlands site.
While the enormous site, roughly the size of Hyde Park, is teeming with wildlife, opportunities for the public to experience it remain scarce, with many forced to view it from the perimeter.
“It looks like you’re going to an army base from here,” Hackbridge resident John Knight told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) last week, standing outside the site’s locked gates, which were adorned with a stark anti-trespassing warning.
He was joined by residents and activists protesting the recently approved plans, which push the full restoration of Beddington Farmlands back to 2029.
As the LDRS revealed last month, the revised deadline is six years later than originally planned and includes environmental changes that locals fear could hinder the site’s recovery from being a former landfill site. Opponents also argue that Valencia Waste Management has been allowed to delay restoration and alter the plans without Sutton Council taking enforcement action.
“It feels like they haven’t been challenged,” said Hackbridge’s Labour councillor Dave Tchil, who attended the planning meeting where Valencia’s new plans were approved on September 2. “They keep getting away with it.”
What has changed?
The 88.4-hectare site adjoining Beddington and Hackbridge was originally due to become a public nature reserve as part of the Wandle Valley Regional Park, with 12.6 hectares of acid grassland and lowland heath, wetlands, seven bird hides and almost 3km of footpaths. While some bird hides were delivered, Valencia missed the legally binding 31 December 2023 deadline to complete the habitat works, prompting Sutton Council to threaten enforcement action.
The revised plans replace the acid grassland with lowland meadow and push final restoration back to 2029 through a series of staged targets. They also include plans to use treated effluent to feed the wetlands, build a 900-square-metre maintenance shed and introduce controlled public access with seasonal curfews and automatic gates.
The council can also draw down a £2.33 million developer bond if work is delayed again. At the meeting, officers said the phased approach would provide “identifiable stages” against which progress could be measured, rather than leaving the council to wait until the final restoration deadline.
However, opponents feel these new plans mark a significant departure from the original blueprint. Speaking at the meeting, Chair of the Wandle Valley Forum, Tony Burton, said: “We now have a landscape in wildlife decline and are presented with watered-down plans that do less for both wildlife and public access.”
Environmental changes
The loss of the acid grassland remains a key concern for residents and conservationists. The council said the change was prompted by difficulties in growing acid grassland on the former landfill site’s alkaline soil, with attempts to acidify it potentially mobilising contaminants that could impact the nearby River Wandle.
However, birdwatchers like Pasha believe the change could have a significant impact on local biodiversity. “Acid grassland is incredibly important for birds,” Pasha added, warning that the switch to lowland meadow could mean “birds, plants and insects are going to go”.
Campaigners also criticised how the council and Valencia – who took over the site from Beddington incinerator operators Viridor in 2021 – initially moved forward with the acid grassland plans despite knowing about the site’s history. “They are a business who are more interested in doing their business,” Sutton resident and Green Party member Doug Shaw said, explaining the apparent lack of foresight.
Lack of public access
Years after the original plans were approved, public access remains limited to a handful of open days and for keyholding members of the Beddington Farmlands Bird Group. While residents and conservationists accept that protecting wildlife must come first, many say the public has been kept at arm’s length from the site.
Isabella Woolston of the nearby bedZed eco-estate said that the site’s gates appeared soon after the hides were built, offering what she saw as “mixed messaging” around the promised public access to the site.
“I have lived overlooking this place for 24 years of my life,” she told the LDRS. “It is harder to find info about how the project is going or how to access it because they (Valencia) are a business.”
Doug said several permissive paths intended for public access still looked “rough and ready” and could pose a risk to visitors, despite Valencia having known about the plans for years. He also pointed to a bird hide visible beyond the locked gates but still largely inaccessible to the public, asking: “How difficult would it be to just extend the path to the hide?”
Under the new plans, visitors would have year-round access along the western permissive path and around the southern lake, while routes through sensitive habitats would be controlled. Six designated routes would also be managed with automatic and lockable gates; however, Tony Burton told the planning committee that the proposed 2.30 pm winter closures to protect ground-nesting birds were “simply ludicrous”.
Water onsite
Thames Water also has a significant role in the site’s restoration, in part because of its nearby Beddington Sewage Treatment Works. Under the new plans, wet grasslands and lakes would be fed with treated effluent from Thames Water’s main effluent carrier, while lining beneath key wetlands would help retain water.
Although Thames Water has backed the plans in principle, concerns remain over water quality and the need for controls to prevent storm sewage reaching sensitive bird habitats. Criticising the water provider’s apparent lack of engagement over the plans, Sutton Green Party activist Helen John told the LDRS: “Trying to get Thames Water to sit around the table is a nightmare.”
Enforcement and the future
Sutton’s Lib Dem Council believes the revised plans and timetable put it in a stronger position to hold Valencia to account and monitor its scheduled works. It also hopes the inclusion of a £2.33 million collateral trust will prevent Valencia from causing any further delays.
However, opponents argue that the council has failed to properly address the site’s long-running under-delivery, accusing it of “accepting” Valencia’s failures.
Green activist Helen told the LDRS that a key concern was that a waste operator had been tasked with restoring the site, rather than a traditional trust arrangement as originally proposed in the 2016 plans. “A waste operator opening a nature reserve… they must have come up with that idea in a pub over a couple of pints,” Helen said.
Cllr Tchil, one of the four opposition councillors on Sutton’s Lib Dem-majority council, told the LDRS that scrutiny of the plans and Valencia must continue to ensure the work is delivered. “Valencia needs to get its act together and Sutton Council toughen up to guarantee it happens,” he added.
In the meantime, locals and campaigners told the LDRS that their confidence in the site’s future had been eroded by previous delays and setbacks. “It’s hard to be hopeful when things have not gone to plan in the past,” Doug told the LDRS.
Julie Knight, who lives on the Flowers Estate with her husband John, said she had hoped to enjoy public access to the site on her doorstep in the near future. Instead, she said, “now it is going to be my great grandchildren coming here”.
Sutton Council’s response
Following the approval earlier this month, Councillor Jayne McCoy, the Chair of Sutton Council’s Planning Committee, said: “We know how important it is for our residents that the long-promised works to restore the landfill site and create a new nature reserve at Beddington Farmlands are completed as soon as possible.
“The council can now finalise a legal agreement to ensure that VWM [Valencia Waste Management] carries out the remaining works in clear phases. Crucially, it will also allow the council to take action if any commitments are not met and ensure each phase is completed to a strict timescale.
“We hope this decision gives the council the tools to finally ensure delivery of this strategically important new open space dedicated to nature conservation.”
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Beddington Farms has had a long and complex history around its ownership and plans, as outlined in the planning application by Valencia Waste to Sutton Borough Council. Thames Water has invested more than £400,000 over the past four years for ongoing habitat management, support of hydrological investigations and installation of pumps to manage water levels, and continues to review requirements at Beddington.”
Valencia Waste Management was approached for comment.
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