Croydon Council has assured that issues related to sewage pollution in South Norwood Country Park will not hinder plans to introduce Eurasian beavers to the area.

Misconnections from adjacent residences are causing waste to flow directly into Chaffinch Brook, bypassing the sewer system and treatment facilities.

The council recently revealed initiatives aimed at rewilding the park, which includes proposals to release beavers into its lake.

For several years, untreated sewage has been entering the stream. The council is committed to ensuring that the environment remains safe and clarified that the contaminated waterway is not linked to the lake designated for the beavers.

Amy Foster, the Labour councillor for Woodside, criticized the delay in rectifying the misconnections, labeling it “a shocking indictment of the council’s failure to hold partners accountable or ensure effective inter-departmental collaboration.”

The contamination issue came to light in mid-2024 during a survey by Thames Water, which inspected 474 properties in South Norwood and discovered that 16 homes on Cargreen Road were improperly discharging sewage into the nearby stream. This included a block of eight social housing units managed by Hyde Housing.

According to Local Democracy Reporting Service, further examination found that the original developer of the offending properties, currently out of business, had incorrectly linked them to a surface water drain instead of the sewage system, thus allowing untreated sewage to flow directly into Chaffinch Brook.

The brook runs through the country park and connects to the waterways of Waterlink Way, which extends through southeast London to Greenwich.

Of the 16 affected properties, issues at 14 have now been resolved. One of the remaining misconnected homes is privately owned.

Thames Water noted that these homes “represent the most significant ongoing impact on water quality in the area.”

A representative from Hyde Housing stated, “We’re diligently working to resolve this situation as swiftly as we can and are prepared to begin work, including interim measures, as soon as we receive the green light from Croydon Council.”

Croydon Council, led by Conservative Mayor Jason Perry, confirmed its collaboration with Hyde Housing to rectify the problem, but emphasized that the housing provider must complete the necessary licensing steps before any work can commence.

The council is also engaging with the owners of the other misconnected property to verify the issue and work toward a lasting solution.

No specific timelines have been shared for the completion of these efforts. Until resolved, sewage will continue to flow into the brook, which a spokesperson from Thames Water described as having “a serious impact on the environment.”

Plans to introduce Eurasian beavers to the country park are being formulated in collaboration with the urban rewilding charity Citizen Zoo, which helped establish London’s first publicly accessible urban beaver population in Ealing in 2023 alongside the Ealing Beaver Project.

The council and its partners are focused on ensuring the environment is both safe and suitable for the beavers.

Mayor Perry expressed that the introduction of this species in South Norwood “would benefit local wildlife and be a major enhancement for the borough.”

Elliot Newton, director of rewilding at Citizen Zoo, remarked that the area holds “immense potential.”