It’s local election time and WarrenFarmNR needs your support!
The starting gun has been fired for the local elections on 5th May and by now you will probably have received party leaflets hitting your doormat and knocks on the front door by hopeful candidates. Many of you have been contacting us asking which parties are supporting our vision seeking Local Nature Reserve designation. So, we decided to ask them and on 19th April we wrote to all the leaders of the major parties standing in the local elections with the following question:
“There is a petition by the Brent River & Canal Society and Warren Farm Nature Reserve group which currently stands at over 11,000 signatures calling for Warren Farm and surrounding Brent River Park Meadows to be given official Local Nature Reserve designation.
Ealing Council has adopted a Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy and it is likely that all councils will have Biodiversity Net Gain targets by 2023. Warren Farm is London’s most species-rich site recorded on Greenspace Information for Greater London (GIGL) and is home to U.K. Red Listed Skylarks facing extinction. It will be very difficult to achieve the council’s biodiversity aims unless Warren Farm is safeguarded for wildlife and the local community.
With this in mind, if elected:
‘Will your party’s councillors support an application by Ealing Council to Natural England to designate the meadow at Warren Farm in its entirety, and the surrounding Brent River Park Meadows, as a statutory Local Nature Reserve?’
And here are all of the responses we have received:
“Liberal Democrats have always been clear that all of Warren Farm and the surrounding Brent River Park Meadows should be designated a statutory Local Nature Reserve. We will continue to press Ealing Council to apply to Natural England for this status. This is long standing Lib Dem policy, we have asked questions both in Council and of the Mayor and will continue to campaign for Warren Farm Nature Reserve. When I first became a Councillor, I was part of the Council’s committees which discussed biodiversity, and more recently the Liberal Democrat Group created the motion that the Council agreed on the Climate Emergency. I passionately believe that this wonderful haven for wildlife needs to be rewilded whilst the buildings should be made safe from asbestos. The Liberal Democrats asked the Council Leader this month about this topic, and we think the Council should agree to your aims and objectives for Warren Farm. I personally visited Warren Farm for an update earlier in April and we support your aims.’”
“When the new leadership took over in May 2021, one of its earliest announcements was to confirm a new vision for Warren Farm Sports Ground, involving a compromise that would enable sports to return to the area, whilst also re-wilding the overwhelming majority of Warren Farm and the surrounding land.
Since then, Ealing Labour have been working to make that vision come to life. We are not simply interested in re-wilding Warren Farm. After close discussion with the Warren Farm Nature Reserve and the Brent Canal and River Society, we have successfully worked to agree with Imperial College that the equestrian land to the North West of Warren Farm can be included in future plans for the area.
After personal engagement by the Leader of the Council, discussions are in progress with the Earl of Jersey to try and get him to agree the same for the land to the South East. If the scale of re-wilding across the whole of the land can be achieved, it would constitute the largest re-wilding project in suburban London for decades. We have already committed that Blackberry Corner, Jubilee Meadow, Trumpers Field and Fox Meadow will have Local Nature Reserve status, and work to achieve this is already underway.
At the moment, too much of the land both within the control of the council at Warren Farm and by Imperial to the north consists of hard standing and dilapidated buildings. Much of this is both dangerous and an eyesore. It is this kind of quantum of land we think we can repurpose for sports provision.
There is an under provision of sports pitches and courts within the borough for cricket, tennis, football, and other sports, particularly in Southall where green open space is at an all-time-premium. Our young people do deserve places to play sport.
Community sports pitches are not the kind of thing that can easily squeeze into densely populated towns like Southall and Hanwell. Before its buildings were condemned, Warren Farm had been a sports facility for decades. Many generations of Ealing residents have such clear memories of playing sports at Warren Farm, and we need to do something to ensure everyone has access to decent community facilities.
A compromise not only achievable, its the right thing to do. We understand, with just days left to go until a local election that there are some voices that have surfaced to make allegations about our intentions. This is pure conjecture. The only decision on Warren Farm that has been taken to date is to consult with residents about our new vision to re-grow the overwhelming majority of the site. You can still do that at the Council’s website here: www.givemyview.com/warrenfarm
Ealing Labour have ambitious plans to tackle the climate emergency, including the re-wilding of 800,000 m2 of our borough, as well as 10 new parks, 50,000 more trees and new community growing spaces across our seven towns. To see more of our plans, go to www.ealinglabour.com/climateaction”
“This is very simple. I and all other Green party candidates in Ealing support the entirety of Warren farm being designated a nature reserve. I have campaigned for this consistently in Hanwell Broadway ward and will continue to do so. I have already signed the petition and I am glad it has attracted a very large number of signatures. I wish you well in your fantastic campaign”
“We have always stated that we want WF to be a nature reserve with full protection, therefore we are happy to confirm that we would support the application”
“‘We fully support Warren Farm NR and want to see it grow. We have always championed that Warren Farm NR to be given official Local Nature Reserve designation. We support you and the wonderful work you are doing and will ensure your voice is heard and what you need is listened to.
We want Warren Farm to be as nature intended and grow for nature. It cannot be exploited by those who are trying to use this precious land for their own gain. It is there to be used for nature and wildlife and their habitats and as communities to celebrate and respect this beauty. Warren Farm NR is a unique part of London and must stay this way for future generations. It cannot and must not be used for anything other than nature”
“Yes, we do indeed support your Warren Farm Nature Reserve Campaign, and you have our full support on this matter. We do believe the fact that nature reserves need to be actively promoted a lot more, in the interests of promoting a healthier, cleaner environment, and above all as far as the health and future of the planet is concerned.
What kind of planet and environment we will be leaving behind for the future generations to inherit, is the question we should all be asking. It is very sad indeed that we are losing our wildlife, and that includes frogs, butterflies, bees, hedgehogs, moths, bats, insects, birds, toads etc.
We have always stood firmly opposed to Councils selling public land to private property developers. The way the interests of these Capitalist private property developers had always been put forward first before the local communities and our respective environment, as far as money is concerned. The selling of public land to private property developers has negatively impacted green belts across Britain, and greenery and nature becoming diminished in some areas. The way our public land including our respective nature reserves have been exploited in the interests of private property developers, as far as money and profit making capitalist culture is concerned. Now, not all local authority land is registered, but will be by 2025. Despite the sale of Council land in recent years, councils retain a high level of land ownership. This opens up the prospect of improving parks, nature reserves, sports facilities, local farmer and food markets, tree planting programmes and accessible public green spaces.
You mentioned in your email that Ealing Council has adopted a Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy and it is likely that all councils will have Biodiversity Net Gain targets by 2023. Warren Farm is London’s most species-rich site recorded on Greenspace Information for Greater London (GIGL) and home to U.K. Red Liste Skylarks facing extinction. It will be very difficult to achieve the council’s biodiversity aims unless Warren Farm is safeguarded for wildlife and the local community.
You also enquired about that “Will our party’s councillors support an application by Ealing Council to Natural England to designate the meadow at Warren Farm in its entirety, and the surrounding Brent River Park Meadows, as a statutory Local Nature Reserve?”
In order to answer this question of yours I would like to say Yes we will indeed. But most Important of all, we also strongly urge the fact that these Climate Emergency announcements are not just Lip Service from the Council, and they must lead to real actions. In order to make this possible, Our Elected Councillors would strongly work with the respective environmental groups, community campaigners and trade unionists to ensure that campaigners’ efforts will be fundamental to holding councils accountable through public pressure to translate paper targets into concrete action.
Now two thirds of local councils (including district, county, unitary and metropolitan) have declared a climate emergency. (Like I said before) It is vital that these climate emergency announcements are not just lip service, and we must ensure that they do lead to real action”
Thank you to all of the parties for their responses.
For the next few weeks we will all have the local politicians’ attention. With the public consultation over the future of Warren Farm running in parallel with the elections, it is important that you our supporters of Warren Farm Nature Reserve, make your voices heard.
Please help us by giving our campaign and wildlife a voice on social media @WarrenFarmNR, on the doorstep and by emailing your local candidates. For this, we suggest a shorter question perhaps along the following lines:
‘I am one of over 11,000 people who have signed the Warren Farm Nature Reserve petition. If elected, will you support an application by Ealing Council to Natural England to designate the whole of Warren Farm, and its surrounding meadows by the River Brent, as a statutory Local Nature Reserve?’
Tell your candidates what Warren Farm NR means to you, why you love this incredible green space and in doing so help us preserve our re-wilded urban meadow for wildlife, the community and for future generations to enjoy.
Thank you,
#WarrenFarmNR group
Here is the full list of candidates for each ward - Ealing Nub News list and Ealing Council list.
