We’re very pleased to be able to share this statement we’ve received from Thames Water.

We’re very pleased to be able to share this statement we’ve received from Thames Water following Thursday evening’s public meeting on the future of Rye Meads:

“We understand how important Rye Meads is to local people, visitors, volunteers and the many groups that have helped care for and monitor the site's nationally important wildlife and habitats. We plan to keep the site open to the public and community groups following the RSPB's decision to end its lease. We are working at pace to put the necessary arrangements in place to take over the running of the site and look forward to sharing further details in future.”

Their commitment to keep the site open to the public and community groups is very welcome news, and marks a really important step forward.

There is still a lot of detail to work through around the transition, future management, volunteers, facilities and community involvement, but this gives us the clarity we have been asking for on the most important point: public access is planned to continue.

Thank you, as always, to everyone who has signed the petition, shared the campaign, attended meetings, submitted questions and kept Rye Meads firmly in the public conversation.

We’ll continue to share updates as the next steps become clearer.