South London Downs: new National Nature Reserve set to give Croydon a property price boost

The South London Downs is set to join Richmond Park and Ruislip Woods as London’s third such reserve. It will then include Happy Valley Park and the adjacent Coulsdon and Farthing Commons, which will also be protected against development.
Croydon cows: cattle graze on Farthing Common, now part of a National Nature Reserve — the South London Downs
Alamy Stock Photo
Ruth Bloomfield9 April 2019

A little-known corner of the capital is set to be declared a National Nature Reserve. The South London Downs is expected to become London’s third such reserve, after Richmond Park and Ruislip Woods.

Its 1,030 acres, which will be protected against development, will include Happy Valley Park and the adjacent Coulsdon and Farthing Commons, which sit between Croydon and the Surrey Hills.

Residents living near this quality open space should see a healthy boost in the value of their homes. A recent Nationwide Building Society study shows you’ll pay a 22 per cent premium, or £46,000 on average, for a home in one of the UK’s national parks.

The decision to create the South London Downs has been made by the City of London and Croydon council. Natural England, the Government’s adviser for the natural environment, will ratify its status in the autumn.

National Nature Reserves include the Derbyshire Dales, Dawlish Warren in Devon, Dungeness in Kent and Lindisfarne island in Northumberland.

“The National Nature Reserve will offer huge recreational potential to the large urban population of Croydon living nearby,” said Colin Buttery, the City’s director of open spaces. “It also provides excellent opportunities for education and research.

“The overarching vision is that nature is conserved, enriched and reconnected to people. The mission is to ensure the South London Downs National Nature Reserve thrives.

"The partners will act beyond boundaries, harnessing the power of partnership, combining passion, science and innovation to create resilient landscapes, rich in wildlife, where people can engage with the natural world.”

The South London Downs is a combination of woodland, downs and grassland. Wildlife there includes badgers, rare butterflies, dormice, rabbits, bats, kestrels, buzzards, hedgehogs and foxes.

Coulsdon Common has several ponds, including two created from wartime bomb craters, which are now home to frogs, newts and dragonflies.

For home buyers, Coulsdon has benefits besides its open space. The most southerly tip of London, it sits just within the M25 and has two Zone 6 commuter stations.

Trains from Coulsdon South take just over 20 minutes to reach London Bridge, and just under half an hour to Victoria. Services from Coulsdon Town to London Bridge take 35 minutes.

Coulsdon’s schools are generally very high-performing and the town has a busy high street, some nice traditional pubs and a theatre.

Property ranges from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to Thirties semis, as well as new homes.

According to Rightmove, the average price of a house in the CR5 postcode is £521,530, with an average flat costing £303,000 and an average semi priced at £470,000.