Wormwood Scrubs to get new ponds in HS2 deal

Suppliers to redesign and maintain Wormwood Scrubs nature reserve are being sought

One of the largest areas of common land in London is to see new ponds, meadows and grasslands, in a bid to boost biodiversity and improve drainage across the site.

Hammersmith and Fulham council is seeking suppliers for the redesign and maintenance of the Wormwood Scrubs nature reserve in west London.

Known locally as "the Scrubs", its meadow recently gained the status of a Local Nature Reserve, protecting it from future potentially harmful developments.

The £3.8m development will be funded by HS2 after an agreement was reached to ensure ecological improvements were delivered following the construction of major HS2 infrastructure at Old Oak Common.

Upgrades will include new retention and shallow ponds, tree planting and improvements to existing vegetation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The proposal which the council has put out to tender includes plans to build new hibernation shelters for animals, including bird and bat boxes.

'More wild than tamed'

The independent charity Friends of Wormwood Scrubs welcomed the design for ecological biodiversity and recreation.

Chairman of trustees, Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen said: "There is always a balance to be struck between this primary purpose and the preservation of nature."

He added that the area was "metropolitan open land" and was "more wild than tamed", and should remain so, despite population pressures in west London.

The plans include building new animal hibernation shelters and bird and bat boxes

The council, which is the sole corporate trustee of the Wormwood Scrubs Charitable Trust which manages the space, secured £3.8m from HS2 for the redesign deal.

Activists had been concerned the development posed a threat to parts of Wormwood Scrubs nature reserve.

Old Oak Common near Wormwood Scrubs Park will connect HS2 with the Elizabeth Line, Great Western Railway, and Heathrow Express.

In June plans were revealed for a new town by the Scrubs with 25,000 homes. To be called Old Oak, it is hoped to be built within 30 years and would span the boroughs of Brent and Ealing as well as Hammersmith and Fulham.

Additional reporting by Lotta Haegg, BBC London