Warren Farm Nature Reserve: Ealing Council and conservationists battle over green space’s future

An unofficial nature reserve, which is one of London’s largest breeding grounds for skylarks, is facing “de-wilding” following plans to develop the site.

Ealing Council has been criticised by local conservationists for its proposals to create a new sports facility on Warren Farm Nature Reserve in Norwood Green.

The 61-acre reserve, which has grown from an old abandoned sports facility, is now home to a number of endangered species including the skylark, barn owls and rare clovers, following a successful rewilding project.

Campaigners fear that the development would “destroy” the nature and wildlife that resides there, with thousands of locals signing a petition for the area to be left alone.

The council’s proposal would see part of the land converted back into eight football pitches and renovation or replacement of the crumbling graffiti-covered changing rooms and decrepit asbestos-filled shower blocks that have been left to deteriorate on the land for over a decade.

A patch of pasture would be protected for wildlife but campaigners argue it will take a long time to provide the habitats the existing ‘nature reserve’ does.

Steve Toft and Katie Boyles from the Brent River Trust fear the development would “de-wild” the land which has been successfully “rewilded” over the last 10 years.

“This is one of the most ecologically important sites in London. Developing anything on here would be a bad idea let alone taking half of it,” Toft told LondonWorld during a tour of the reserve.

“Because of the nature of it, it’s a big vast open plain. That’s the reason why the skylarks nest here, because it’s got this big open space.

“If you take away half of it you’ll ruin all of it so it’s very unlikely that the skylarks would continue to nest here.

“The half of the site that the council wants to develop is the part with the most biodiversity on it. That would actually destroy a lot of what’s here.”

“Here at Warren Park Nature Reserve, we’re the only site in Ealing that has skylarks nesting here,” Boyles told LondonWorld.

“These are super rare, endangered birds. The RSPB central London, Richmond and Twickenham group are supporting us in saying that a quarter of London’s skylark population breeds here.

“If Ealing Council go ahead with their proposals to develop the site they are agreeing to wipe out a quarter of this endangered bird’s population.”

More than 22,000 people have signed the petition against the plans and hundreds of people protested outside Ealing Town Hall in February.

Liberal Democrat London Assembly member Hina Bokhari has raised the issue at City Hall.

An Ealing Council spokesperson said: "The council needs to balance the needs of all our residents and our approach has been to achieve a compromise that delivers both a new nature reserve and much-needed football and cricket pitches for local residents.

“We know that not everyone is going to agree. But we also know that we are all going to need to make some compromises if we are going to both protect and preserve nature, and to bring back into use the sports pitches that young people in Southall urgently need.

“Nothing is yet set in stone, and we have commissioned detailed nature and ecology surveys to help inform the next steps of this project. We will continue to work with local groups and community stakeholders as we make this a reality.”