Beddington Sewage Treatment Works

One of the Thames Water sites we’re supporting through our Time4Trees programme is Beddington Sewage Treatment Works (STW). The site serves a population of 421,000 people, across areas including Central, South and North Croydon.

Thames Water is keen that the STW is not only a functional site, but one which protects and encourages wildlife too. Around 85% of Beddington’s total power needs is generated from renewable biogas energy. And we’re really pleased to be supporting the site’s biodiversity goals further, through our tree planting projects.

In December 2020, we donated 6,420 saplings (whips) and the same number of biodegradable tree guards. Unlike the older style tree guards, these will break down within five years, avoiding plastic sitting on the ground for years to come.

The whips were predominately blackthorn and hawthorn interspersed with spindle, alder buckthorn and hazel. Half have been planted as ‘pocket planting’, which aims to plant denser habitats to create more biodiverse and climate resilient habitats. The second half have been laid as a standard hedgerow in an effort to shelter the land around the STW from the road.

“It’s great to visit sites like this to see how our support is making a difference. Our commitment to Time4Trees is stronger than ever and I’m looking forward to getting my boots dirty again as we continue to lend a hand to Thames Water,”

said Paul Carroll, Managing Director of Brown & Carroll.