Beavers End Repeated Flooding at Greenford Tube by Creating Wetland Network

Overview

• A small, locally run reintroduction in Paradise Fields has produced multiple beaver-built dams and wetlands that have held back water and prevented the recurring floods that once cut access to the local Tube station and flooded downstream homes.
• The beaver family, now at least eight animals on the site, transformed the park into a ‘natural sponge’ that slows flows and stores large volumes of water, according to project staff and council statements.
• Ealing Council and the Mayor’s office credit the reintroduction with reducing flood risk after previous engineered fixes such as straightening and concreting the Brent channel failed to stop repeat inundation.
• Habitat changes from tree felling and slower flows have improved sunlight into the brook, boosted water quality, returned fish, and supported richer insect, bird, bat and amphibian communities.
• The project has drawn strong public interest and official backing and is informing other London efforts, with an Enfield site already operating and Croydon planning a similar scheme for the coming years.