Beavers could succeed where years of campaigning haven’t, with the animals set to play a key role in reopening South Norwood Country Park’s visitor centre
Croydon Council backs plans to reintroduce Eurasian beavers to South Norwood's Country park as part of a wider environmental project
Croydon Council is in the process of approving plans alongside Citizen Zoo to house a family of beavers in hopes of improving biodiversity and reopening the long-closed visitor centre in South Norwood Country Park.
Once widespread across Britain before being hunted to extinction more than four hundred years ago, beavers are often described as “ecosystem engineers” due to their ability to build dams and create wetlands. They improve water quality, reduce flooding, and support wildlife species.
CREDIT: CATHY GILMAN, THE EALING BEAVER PROJECT
The proposed scheme would see the animals housed in what is expected to be London’s largest secure beaver enclosure, designed to be fully accessible to the public.
Alongside the beaver enclosure, the council has outlined plans to restore the park’s visitor centre, which has been closed since an arson attack in 2020, and reopen it as a hub for nature education.
CREDIT: STEPHEN D’SOUZA, SOUTH NORWOOD PARKRUN
In the council’s press release, Jason Perry, the executive mayor of Croydon, said that the plans would “support the park’s biodiversity, and residents and tourists will benefit from investment in a revitalised visitors’ centre. This is yet another example of what I am doing to protect and improve our wonderful parks and green spaces.”
A long-time coming
Local campaigners, including the Friends of South Norwood Country Park, have long called for the facility to be brought back into use. While the group said it’s excited about the environmental benefits the beavers could bring, it stressed that the restoration of the visitor centre should not be dependent on the project going ahead.
Sue Takwani, the chair of the FoSNCP committee told City News, that “Mayor Perry’s announcement that our visitor centre would be rebuilt gives us hope that the return of this important educational facility will finally become reality. The arson attack on Good Friday in 2020 deprived our local community, especially young school children, of the opportunity to learn about nature on their doorstep. However, we believe the restoration of the visitor centre by Croydon Council should not be dependent on the beaver project going ahead. ”
Before the centre’s closure, it hosted school visits, supported volunteer groups working to protect the park’s biodiversity, and provided the only public toilets within the grounds. For many park users, the loss of these facilities has been significant.
At the weekly Parkrun, organisers and runners described the prolonged closure as inconvenient and said the centre’s return would make a noticeable difference to the community. They also mentioned that the lack of toilets makes the park inaccessible.
CREDIT: STEPHEN D’SOUZA, SOUTH NORWOOD PARKRUN
Keith Andrews, the parkrun’s co-event director, said “the visitor centre is an important part of encouraging people and making people feel welcome, so the more chance of it reopening, the better.”
Despite the closure of the visitor centre, the park’s kiosk remains open as a volunteer-run non-profit community hub. It provides hot drinks, snacks, seasonal events, and a place for the community to come together in nature.
One volunteer told City News she was frustrated that long-standing calls from residents to reopen the centre appeared to have gone unheard, while the beaver project had prompted action.
She said, “it’s quite ironic that beavers are more important than (the voices in) South Norwood’s Community, the fact it has taken animals who are not natural to this park to consider opening the visitor centre is quite sad.”
CREDIT: PETER SHACKLE, THE EALING BEAVER PROJECT
Although there has been excitement around the prospect of the beavers arriving in Croydon, it is still early in the assessment process.
Emily Bowen, a spokesperson from The Beaver Trust, a charity that played a big part in the Ealing Beaver Project, told us, “The site in Croydon is very much in the ideation phase at the moment, and a full feasibility study hasn’t yet been conducted.”
In the meantime, Citizen Zoo is now launching a series of engagement events, including a guided walk through the Country Park exploring existing wildlife, habitats, and how beavers could shape the landscape, hosted by staff and councillors.
Croydon Council has also launched a new survey to hear from the community in determining whether the project will go ahead.
While the beavers’ arrival may still be some way off, their potential introduction has already renewed hope for the visitor centre that locals have spent years fighting to restore.
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HeadlineBeavers could succeed where years of campaigning haven’t, with the animals set to play a key role in reopening South Norwood Country Park’s visitor centre
Short HeadlineBeavers to revive visitor centre in Croydon
StandfirstCroydon Council backs plans to reintroduce Eurasian beavers to South Norwood's Country park as part of a wider environmental project
Croydon Council is in the process of approving plans alongside Citizen Zoo to house a family of beavers in hopes of improving biodiversity and reopening the long-closed visitor centre in South Norwood Country Park.
Once widespread across Britain before being hunted to extinction more than four hundred years ago, beavers are often described as “ecosystem engineers” due to their ability to build dams and create wetlands. They improve water quality, reduce flooding, and support wildlife species.
CREDIT: CATHY GILMAN, THE EALING BEAVER PROJECT
The proposed scheme would see the animals housed in what is expected to be London’s largest secure beaver enclosure, designed to be fully accessible to the public.
Alongside the beaver enclosure, the council has outlined plans to restore the park’s visitor centre, which has been closed since an arson attack in 2020, and reopen it as a hub for nature education.
CREDIT: STEPHEN D’SOUZA, SOUTH NORWOOD PARKRUN
In the council’s press release, Jason Perry, the executive mayor of Croydon, said that the plans would “support the park’s biodiversity, and residents and tourists will benefit from investment in a revitalised visitors’ centre. This is yet another example of what I am doing to protect and improve our wonderful parks and green spaces.”
A long-time coming
Local campaigners, including the Friends of South Norwood Country Park, have long called for the facility to be brought back into use. While the group said it’s excited about the environmental benefits the beavers could bring, it stressed that the restoration of the visitor centre should not be dependent on the project going ahead.
Sue Takwani, the chair of the FoSNCP committee told City News, that “Mayor Perry’s announcement that our visitor centre would be rebuilt gives us hope that the return of this important educational facility will finally become reality. The arson attack on Good Friday in 2020 deprived our local community, especially young school children, of the opportunity to learn about nature on their doorstep. However, we believe the restoration of the visitor centre by Croydon Council should not be dependent on the beaver project going ahead. ”
Before the centre’s closure, it hosted school visits, supported volunteer groups working to protect the park’s biodiversity, and provided the only public toilets within the grounds. For many park users, the loss of these facilities has been significant.
At the weekly Parkrun, organisers and runners described the prolonged closure as inconvenient and said the centre’s return would make a noticeable difference to the community. They also mentioned that the lack of toilets makes the park inaccessible.
CREDIT: STEPHEN D’SOUZA, SOUTH NORWOOD PARKRUN
Keith Andrews, the parkrun’s co-event director, said “the visitor centre is an important part of encouraging people and making people feel welcome, so the more chance of it reopening, the better.”
Despite the closure of the visitor centre, the park’s kiosk remains open as a volunteer-run non-profit community hub. It provides hot drinks, snacks, seasonal events, and a place for the community to come together in nature.
One volunteer told City News she was frustrated that long-standing calls from residents to reopen the centre appeared to have gone unheard, while the beaver project had prompted action.
She said, “it’s quite ironic that beavers are more important than (the voices in) South Norwood’s Community, the fact it has taken animals who are not natural to this park to consider opening the visitor centre is quite sad.”
CREDIT: PETER SHACKLE, THE EALING BEAVER PROJECT
Although there has been excitement around the prospect of the beavers arriving in Croydon, it is still early in the assessment process.
Emily Bowen, a spokesperson from The Beaver Trust, a charity that played a big part in the Ealing Beaver Project, told us, “The site in Croydon is very much in the ideation phase at the moment, and a full feasibility study hasn’t yet been conducted.”
In the meantime, Citizen Zoo is now launching a series of engagement events, including a guided walk through the Country Park exploring existing wildlife, habitats, and how beavers could shape the landscape, hosted by staff and councillors.
Croydon Council has also launched a new survey to hear from the community in determining whether the project will go ahead.
While the beavers’ arrival may still be some way off, their potential introduction has already renewed hope for the visitor centre that locals have spent years fighting to restore.
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