More than 2,500 people have signed a petition calling for "an end to delays" over the development of a nature reserve on a site where an incinerator is being built.

The petition, which started last week, highlights a “shocking decline” in wildlife at the Beddington Lane site, where waste management company Viridor is nearing completion of an “Energy Recovery Facility” which will burn up to 275,000 tonnes of waste annually.

Campaigners fear that Viridor is not sticking to planning conditions for building the facility, which state that it must restore the surrounding area and set targets for increasing key wildlife as well as deliver an abundant nature reserve for local people.

The petition states: "The incinerator is almost finished but the restoration plans have fallen way behind. Wildlife has collapsed and there is next to no public access to enjoy this vast area of open space at the heart of the Wandle Valley Regional Park.

"We call on Sutton Council to put an end to the delay. It is time to enforce the planning conditions and require Viridor to restore the site and deliver the nature reserve it promised."

The petition also highlights the latest breeding birds survey, which shows tree sparrow numbers have fallen from a thousand birds to a single breeding pair in just a decade.

Tony Burton, chair of Wandle Valley Forum, the volunteer group which set up the petition, said it was now up to Sutton Council to exercise its legal power.

He said the Beddington Lane site's future had been a "source of public anxiety for years" and that the petition showed a clear ground for public concern.

A spokesman for Sutton Council said: "Our planning and biodiversity teams continue to work closely with Viridor to ensure that Beddington Farmlands complies with the terms of its planning permission."

A spokesman for Viridor told Sutton Guardian: "We would like to reassure members of the community that Viridor remains fully committed to restoring the Beddington Farmlands in accordance with the objectives of the Conservation Management Scheme and Restoration Management Plan as well as operating a responsible and compliant landfill site.

"Viridor works closely with the London Borough of Sutton planning department and the Environment Agency to ensure that the Beddington Farmlands remains compliant with its planning permission and environmental permit.”

The petition can be found here.