Hello
I know it’s not strictly SE23 but does anyone know if work has started on the proposed changes and any completion date?
I know the golf course has closed but is it all open to the public now to walk around?
I’m most interested in the lake idea of swimming in it!
Thanks!
The park is open to walk around. I don’t know about the proposed works or the swimming.
I was there a couple of weeks ago and it’s a really lovely spot to go for a walk. There is a small cafe serving tea coffee basic snacks etc - no meals yet as far as I can tell. Also there is an art club running in the room next to the cafe with classes for adults and children. There are basic toilets open. It’s a beautiful park.
This is the website of the art organisation that are based in the Mansion House in Beckenham Place Park
http://splattermake.co.uk/
There’s plenty of information about the park and the redevelopment on Lewisham’s website, and you can sign up for email updates and follow the park’s Facebook page.
I looked on the website yesterday before posting, but could not see an update from this year. I’ll look again, maybe I missed it. Was just wondering as I know people on here often head down there what was occurring.
Best place for up-to-date info is definitely their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/beckenhamplacepark/
As soon as the golf course officially closed the dog walkers colonised it! Casual golfers have returned to use the course while it’s still there, but keeping getting their balls nicked by opportunistic dogs! Where the dog walkers go, everyone else soon follows.
Work is still at an early stage. Mostly clearing and replanting, although there is definitely digger activity where the lakes / wetland area is planned.
I’ve noticed the woodland is being better managed in a housekeeping sort of way - bins being emptied more regularly, and a maintenance guy riding round in a golf buggy. Paths have been mowed into the fields, but the rest left to go to meadow, which is lovely at this time of year.
It’s a beautiful park, which we only visited for the first time a couple of weeks back. Hopefully it won’t be too overdeveloped or managed. Does anyone know an off-road running route to the park from Forest Hill?
There’s a recently started ParkRun there - every Saturday at 9.00.
http://www.parkrun.org.uk/beckenhamplace/
It’s a flat course all on the other side of the railway
Thanks Rachael - I’ll follow the Facebook page.
Ok had a look on the Facebook page - lots of tree planting! They look very close together on the photos but I am no expert! Looking forward to visiting now, might try this weekend.
How long before they start turning it into burial plots…?! 
This is sarf London. What makes you think it already isn’t? 
Went for a quick walk there tonight - we’re very lucky to have some where like this so close. As Rachael said lots of dog walkers but also lots of families and couples out enjoying the warm evening.
Did not make it over to the river and children’s area, will like try that tomorrow.
A few quick snaps.
Love this place, you can feel totally isolated from houses, roads, noise etc. Much better now it’s been opened up and no longer a golf course. Only needs some deer and it could serve as a pint-sized Richmond park.
You know I as I was walking around I also thought how nice it would be with some deer! Not sure the dog walkers would be as delighted… I was however distracted from my thoughts when I realised I was lost, was not sure if the car park entrance did actually close at 9 and have 15 minute to find my way back. Google maps came to the rescue!
If the lake idea comes to fruition and you can swim \ kayak etc on there I’ll be over the moon.
As the owner of a dog with ‘Fenton’ tendencies, I’d have to veto the idea of deer!
My parents dog had very similar tendencies, but just out of the blue. Normally great recall but once gone, well…
I must admit it made me want to have a dog - I used to love walking our family one, especially on days like these in spaces like this.
Have you heard of Borrow My Doggy? Might be the solution.
Thanks Rachael - that looks brilliant and possibly a great way to introduce the kids to dogs more.
Edit - so went round with the kids today, from the old bromley road entrance. The playground is ok and has two water features the kids can run through. It has no shade so we didn’t stay long.
Really nice cycle path, you really feel like you are in the countryside, the boys stopped off to dip their feet in the river. They also loved the fact you can see trains for part of the journey! Amazing meadow of dandelions and other yellow flowers. We stopped off on the way back at the ‘main entrance’ near homebase and the kids enjoyed rolling down the hills there.
All in all really nice - what a great park.
There is an interesting blog written by a local woman opposed to the council’s changes.
While it is always good to hold the local authority to account on works such as these, I get the feeling there was a lot of resistance to change that might not have been fully justified. The park has been extremely underused, which has been just lovely for those of us that do use it. But we can’t oppose changes that will open it up to more users just because we like it quiet, as long as the current main attractions - the meadow and woods - are preserved. It has undoubtedly been under maintained and the changes I’ve seen so far have been positive. Good to keep a watchful eye on things, of course.
Great article about the history of the park and estate, full of photos:
Amazing photos. We were up there today and I’ve always been struck by how oversized the portico is - now I know why! Standing on the other side of the house, you get amazing rolling vistas of landscaped parkland (you just have to ignore the golf bunkers).
As a regular visitor with my dog, it’s been lovely to see how many more people are using the park now the golf club has closed. While it’s sad to lose a public golf course, this historic site and landscaping, along with the ancient woodland, is now accessible to everyone.
Really excited to see the plans progress for BPP now. I will be spending a lot more time there now I know how accessible and friendly a place it is.
Just hope that squirrel is staying grey, some of the suggestions were shocking.
That’s pretty interesting, what a fab idea.
I signed up but got no one contacting us - we’ve since rehomed a cat so it’s possibly out of the window now - my sister-in-law uses it successfully - it might work better if you want someone to walk your dog than the other way around.
This is worrying, especially given what’s happening to One Tree Hill:
Anyone know what Lewisham Council is up to?
There’s an update here: https://www.lewisham.gov.uk/inmyarea/regeneration/improvements-to-parks/BeckenhamPlacePark/Pages/Tree-management.aspx
Key section:
The planned tree works
We need to ensure the park remains safe for everyone. Around 80 trees will be taken down because they are dead or diseased.
Some areas of scrub and undergrowth within the parkland will be removed to improve sightlines and views across the parkland and to the key heritage buildings. This will enhance the feeling of space and openness which is so valued by many park users.
Other trees will be removed within clumps to allow the most mature specimens to flourish. This thinning is an important part of normal tree maintenance.
Some of the planting that is associated with the golf course will be removed, just as the bunkers and tees will also be removed. These trees were planted in the 1990s, are relatively young and offer little habitat value.
There has been next to no management of the park and its trees in many years and these tree works are absolutely necessary. There are a lot of old, dead and diseased trees that need to be cleared. Meanwhile, large areas have already been planted with hundreds of new saplings in land reclaimed from the golf course. I’m in this park several times a week and the work that is being put into it is amazing to see.
This situation is in no way like what has happened at One Tree Hill
Given the amount of information in this thread about the regeneration of the park, I’m really surprised you felt the need to ask. It is most definitely regeneration, not redevelopment. There has been a regrettable degree of nimbyism about objections to the regeneration. Dog owners (myself included) have had the benefit of a hugely under-used public space for many years where we can let our dogs off-leash and not really worry about what they are up to. The regeneration includes facilities for all the community and that does mean that we dog walkers will have to curtail our dogs’ freedoms in the park somewhat (or get them better trained!), but the overall benefit to the community must surely out-weigh that inconvenience.
For balance, here are some photos I took this morning of the ranks of newly planted saplings.
And a snow-sprinkled doggo, just because.
I asked once, and then information was helpfully provided.
I’m glad I asked. Thank you for the information.
It was your need to ask that surprised me, given all the information and links are already here. Not your normal modus operandi. I admit, though, that the propagation of falsehoods about the regeneration really bothers me and I do tend to bang on about it if the subject comes up.
As you were.
I love your dog.
It’s good that Lewisham know people are scrutinising what’s being done, because oversight is important. Beckenham Place Park is an incredibly important environmental resource and needs to be treated with respect.
Re the lake: they are re-excavating an existing lake. The stand of young trees that had filled in the lake are not part of the ancient woodland. Mostly ash that grows like a weed. However, the heavy diggers are making a horrendous mess and it all looks rather brutal.
In the ancient woodland, a substantial area of scrub under the trees has been cleared, which is a big concern for existing wildlife. It is being transformed into a wetland habitat, which seems a little bizarre in a woodland.
A few old and problematic trees have been taken out of the woodland, but only a handful. As I posted before, hundreds of young trees were planted last year to fill in areas of the woodland encroached on by the golf course. As far as I know there are no plans to remove many more trees from the ancient woodland.
Overall we need continued scrutiny but not panic, and for people to pick their battles to make sure Lewisham are held accountable where it matters. I said this to the people concerned about the large flock of parakeets that might be affected - good, I say! You can’t hear the native birds over the screeching of the interlopers.
Lets not make this political. Immigrant populations established over generations have as much right to be here as any other. Those parakeets were born British.
Just wait till they cr@p on you and you will be out there with your banner!! 
I’ve never had immigrants crap on me. Though metaphorically I’ve had white male suburbanites do get quite close to it. 
Not unless their parents applied for settlement before they were born.
Let’s keep it BPP here, please folks.
I hate seeing mature trees lost. Don’t worry though, they’ll be replaced by some twiglings no doubt.
Does anyone know if those are silver birch? If so they’re not looking healthy. The typical lifespan of silver birch is 80 years so I’d wonder if these are marked for removal on plant health reasons.
There’s something about felling trees that really makes people feel emotional, me included.
However, the parkland at Beckenham Place Park is not the same as the ancient woodland. The parkland is an artificial landscape planted up some 100 years ago. So yes, there will be mature-looking trees there like silver birch which are not long-lived and which should have been felled and replaced in an ongoing programme over the decades. The parkland was designed in a time when the owner of the ‘big house’ would have employed skilled groundsmen and gardeners to maintain a rolling programme of planting and felling of these ornamental trees.
I really understand how upsetting this is for people. I have lost four of my own trees in the past two years due to honey fungus infection. Those of my neighbours who don’t know why I had to have healthy-looking trees removed probably think I’m a vandal. In truth I’m heartbroken.
The active management and change of sections of the park is a very positive thing, after years of neglect and underinvestment. The landscape is already very largely artificially shaped by its previous users and this is simply continuing its evolution.There does not seem much merit in leaving it or trees nearing the end of their natural lifespan to their own devices. Would we argue against planned park management in other large parks - say Greenwich? Hyde Park?
The lake is a puzzle to me though. Walking by the hole yesterday I could see the size and shape of it and I thought it will become a very attractive feature, but open water swimming? won’t it be quickly colonised by water fowl? Though that might be pleasant to look at, I find it hard to imagine anyone swimming there.
I think it will be mostly full of dogs!
haha Yes that would be enough to keep me out.
The knobbly bits on the bark are usually a sign of some sort of disease. My old apple tree looks like that after years of molestation by woolly aphids.
I’d swim there! A few years back when I was marginally less unfit I did a few triathlons and actually went over to Ham to swim in an open water lake there. I suspect the likes of Crystal Palace Triathletes and others might be interested, if it supports that sort of thing.
Alternatively, if they were to make it a beach like area, it could be somewhere families go but I suspect that might be more difficult safety and regulatory wise, but they have quite a few places like that in France and Spain (though it is warmer there!) where they have built sand beaches by them - which of course might not fit in the scheme here.
I hope you are right - it would be great if it really does get used for swimming. One end is already looking like the promised gently sloping entry into the lake so there will be safe access. There’s plenty of sand in the golf course bunkers. Beckenham Beach anyone?
I know it’s now very friendly for walkers - no danger of being hit by a golf ball. Not personal experience but positive comments from a friend walking their dog there.
Any changing facilities in the plan?
No idea. Not sure if you can take your own kayak / paddle board either or if you have to hire. All will become clear.
I can’t make the open day and won’t be able to go for a few weeks, but would be interesting in hearing feedback on the open water swimming and kayaking from anyone who goes - if not I shall report back if I manage to get down end August or September.
Just went for a dip. Bloody lovely. 
Uh oh:
according to PTP, which operates lifeguarding at Beckenham Place Park, the lake is closed to the public and does not station lifeguards on Mondays.
A dog walker and concerned parent who gave his name as Ben said he saw “lots of older kids swimming and plenty of people in the lake” on Monday afternoon.
Maybe it would have been wise to keep the lifeguard on the first Monday after opening when there’s a heatwave on the horizon and school term’s nearly finished.
Open water swimming - be it a lake or the sea is very different from using a pool. There should be lifeguards at all times when it is open but perhaps parents should take some responsibility to educate and supervise their children.
Apologies if it’s already been asked but can you pre-book? It’s really not clear on their site!
Parents need to realise it’s a large deep water swimming lake and not a paddling pool. I was there at the weekend and was amazed by the number of parents keeping a distant eye on their kids while nattering, utterly irresponsible in my view.
According to the News Shopper a child was rescued from the lake and taken by air ambulance to hospital on Monday.
According to some reports the issue is that it looks like a paddling pool (it’s called a splash area) but in actuality the rope marking the splash area moved so it got very deep very quickly.
That’s a shame, but given schools finish today, and on top of the heat wave, I guess it could be quite difficult to ensure the safety of everyone in the water…
Hopefully it will re-open soon.
Sounds like quite a change. Also suspect this fencing will be ugly…
To manage the number of swimmers and lake users safely:
Does sound like they have realised their is a big issue - it’s a big call to close this a few days after it opened.
I wonder if this will become a permanent fenced chargeable off area - which I think would be a shame.
I hope this is temporary whilst they amend signage and perhaps more solidly re-enforce the limits of the lake and where depth increases significantly.
I’m actually pleased that they have taken swift action here - must have been a difficult call for somebody, but safety, especially with young children around is paramount. I hope to use it later next month, both for swimming and kayaking.
Updated statement, the park has reopened, but the pond is still closed:
The public response to the relaunch of Beckenham Place Park has been fantastic.
The number of visitors enjoying the new facilities has exceeded our most ambitious forecasts.
However, as with any open water facility, we need to ensure people can enjoy themselves safely. This means carefully managing the number of people using the lake and the space around it.
While the park has re-opened, the lake remains closed as we make these changes.
Or perhaps never. Why shouldn’t the swimmers take responsibility?
Most areas of the coast where people swim in the sea are not regulated and have no lifeguards or supervision.
