WarrenFarmNR Campaign Statement on Ealing Council’s Regional Park concept plan and Ealing Today article
In brief:
Acid Grassland on WarrenFarmNR indicated by the red blush of Sheep’s sorrel. Brownfield area in the background. Imperial College land is to the right out of shot in this photo.
The wording in Ealing Council’s Regional Park Concept Plan and in the Ealing Today article is ambiguously phrased in some areas, but there is no plan to develop on Warren Farm NR
All of Warren Farm NR is to be given Local Nature Reserve (LNR) designation along with our surrounding four Brent River Park meadows
Ealing Council is proposing to potentially develop a sports facility on the neighbouring Imperial College land. This was announced on Ealing Council’s website on 27th February 2024, with both pieces of land clearly marked. This decision was confirmed by Ealing Council’s cabinet on 6th March 2024 and is now council policy
Thank you to everyone who has been in touch and sent us a number of messages, phone calls and emails voicing concerns for Warren Farm Nature Reserve over the recently published ‘Regional Park’ concept plan and the Ealing Today News article (March 18th 2025). We would like to share and give some context to some of the unfortunately unclear messaging on the matter as we see it. Please put that kettle on for a cup of tea now, here we go…
The focal points for the regional park plan. Picture by Prior and Partners.
The Regional Park current concept is essentially the Brent River Park as everyone knows it, with Horsenden Hill attached. That is then being given 4 distinctive zones by consultants Prior & Partners that stretch the length of the park top to bottom, namely Horsenden Hill, Perivale / Pear Tree Park, Churchfields & Warren Farm (NR).
What’s confusing about this in relation to WarrenFarmNR is that the report puts the neighbouring Imperial College land AND Warren Farm NR under the same umbrella, naming them jointly as ‘Warren Farm’. Even though the intentions on each of the two sites, are very different; Local Nature Reserve for Warren Farm NR & potential sports for Imperial College.
Historically speaking, both WarrenFarmNR and the Imperial College land were jointly named in all council documentation as being ‘Warren Farm’. Both bits of land were at one time farmland & both were once used for sports in later years. The reasoning behind publicly engaging under the joint name of ‘Warren Farm’ is we are led to believe, to simplify the Regional Park concept for people who don’t know the two sites and who live outside of Ealing.
The Brownfield area on WarrenFarmNR is joined with a Brownfield area on neighbouring Imperial Collage land. On WarrenFarmNR it makes up 6.5% of the entire rewilded site.
In the council conversations we have been having to date, there are no plans to build a sports facility on Warren Farm NR. Indeed, page 16 of the Regional Park concept plan says: ‘Brownfield Open Mosaic Habitat, a unique priority habitat on previously developed land, on the existing derelict Warren Farm buildings.’ This is exactly what we have been asking for (please see blog post here) and we are being listened to on this particular matter - to retain the brownfield habitat on Warren Farm NR as this will provide a safe habitat for a different mix of rare and vulnerable species recorded here, species which cannot be found in our main rewilded meadow area. Importantly, it will also act as a vital Buffer Zone between our rewilded meadow home to our Skylarks and any potential sports provision on the Imperial College site. We know how much the brownfield is valued and the council are in agreement with us about retaining it.
To be clear, we would have loved to have had the Imperial College land also kept as a connected meadow habitat, as was in our original charity vision, but as things stand today this is the compromise that has been reached in order to safeguard our rare WarrenFarmNR habitat and a quarter of London’s Skylark population.
WarrenFarmNR and surrounding Brent River Park meadows are in the process of receiving LNR designation. The Imperial College land is privately owned so, unlike Warren Farm NR which is owned by the council (and therefore all of us!), it is up to Imperial College to decide what usage they would like for their site and unless Imperial College have a change of mind, or if no sports providers come forward, this is where things currently stand.
Until a sports body shows an interest in taking on the Imperial College site, all sports ideas at this stage are exactly that, just ideas. At the moment, none of us yet know how the sports side may potentially play out or not. It’s worth noting that there is no sporting body who has agreed or shown interest yet (as of March 2025) to take up the Imperial College site.
The council, along with agreeing for our need of a brownfield Buffer Zone, also like the idea of the Warren Farm NR Rewilding Hub concept we put out thanks to our friends at Lill Architects. This would work really well with the rewilded brownfield area footprint. If there is to be a building at all on WarrenFarmNR it would be small, sustainable and at a distance where it would not negatively affect our ground-nesting Skylarks and chicks.
We are being informed that a sports facility will not be placed on Warren Farm NR land and we believe the council are fully aware that any attempts to do this would not go down well with our 26,000 supporters and that of wildlife organisations and notable conservationist’s support.
Some of the derelict buildings on the rewilded Brownfield area of WarrenFarmNR.
The other ideas mentioned in the Ealing Today article such as cycle trails, yoga, play areas & amphitheatre etc; are being mentioned as things that are being looked at as potential ideas across the entirety of the Brent River Park / Regional Park.
We too are very aware that the council have publicly declared ‘All of Warren Farm will be rewilded and protected’ with a map of the boundary outline. Rewilding cannot be compromised by neighbouring sports disruption, light pollution, noise pollution, cars, pesticides & 3G pitches (let’s sadly call them what they are environmentally speaking, microplastic pollution and future landfill) etc;
It is council policy that all of Warren Farm NR becomes a Local Nature Reserve. It was passed in cabinet. The LNR designation is (slow!) but happening.
Ealing Council news report announces the good news, giving all of WarrenFarmNR Local Nature Reserve designation.
Please rest assured, if we were to suddenly find ourselves in a position where things were moving in a direction that harmed our beloved species-rich meadow and our wildlife was put under threat in any way, we would inform you, our supporters and take appropriate action. And yes as we’re being asked, in such circumstances, we would reignite the campaign (which is still very active, we’re working hard!) but right now we are as content as we can be with the council discussions and negotiations to date. Steps are being taken in the right direction towards safeguarding our rewilded urban meadow and all the biodiversity benefits that come with this.
We just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has reached out to us these last couple days. It’s because of all your continued support and care that we are in the positive position we find ourselves today - thank you for keeping an eye out for WarrenFarmNR, it means a lot to our wildlife and us.
WarrenFarmNR Team
Please take a moment to read through the Ealing Council Regional Park Consultation Plan Report here and fill in the on-line consultation here by (extended date) 13th April 2025
Become a FREE member of the Brent River Park charity today by visiting us at BrentRiverPark.org It’s your park, join us to protect it. Thank you!
A WarrenFarmNR Skylark photographed in our meadow where a quarter of London’s Skylark breeding population nest on the ground here. Photo credit and songful thanks to @oonaghh_london (instagram) photography.