Friends of Burgess Park goals for biodiversity and sustainability

Promote diverse habitats to encourage diverse wildlife and provide a richer experience for park users. It is important to establish the value and unique character of each area of the park: for example, how Albany Road Wood is different from Southampton Way Wood, how Sparrow Meadow is different from the area next to The Bridge to Nowhere. Identify enhancements needed such as new locations for water at the Camberwell Road end of the park and on Surrey Canal Walk.

Enhance management techniques to preserve and improve these unique character areas. Without management, natural succession to scrub then woodland would result. Dominant species such as ivy and bramble would out-compete weaker plants leading to a homogenised landscape throughout the park. That’s why a management plan for each area of the park is desirable. And, it’s important to think about connections to allow wildlife to move through the park.

Protection of green spaces – Burgess Park is sometimes seen as an empty space, a place to build new facilities or meet tree planting quotas. Areas of flower-rich grassland should be fully valued and have their own management plan. This is relevant to work on nature corridors/green routes, understanding the impact of development around the park and on its significance as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and Metropolitan Open Land (MOL).

We appreciate that the Ecology Team and Parks have aready commissioned a lake management plan and that work is also underway on woodlands. This is a great step forward. These are important building blocks for a park-wide biodiversity and sustainability plan.

A development plan with priorites will also assist as and when any funding becomes available and bringing funding together for larger projects.

As Land Use Consultants are currently surveying Southwark’s SINCs it seems the ideal time to establish which areas are the most valuable to wildlife and where there is scope for habitat enhancement.

Friends of Burgess Park have ideas to contribute to the priority plan for the park and look forward to seeing these formalised and agreed with Southwark Council.