Warren Farm is London’s newest nature reserve – securing its future as a protected wildlife haven.
Ealing Council today (Monday 9 March) formally declared Local Nature Reserve status for the site in Southall.
Under plans first revealed by the council in 2024, the 24.8-hectare Warren Farm will be ‘rewilded’ and preserved for wildlife and meadow habitats. The site is already an important site for skylark nesting and is also home to a wide range of wildflowers, butterflies and bees.
The plan will include demolition and removal of the old sports facility buildings, which have been unused for 15 years and become derelict.
But that’s not the end of sport at Warren Farm, because there will also be a new community sports hub created on an adjoining parcel of land. This has been made possible after the council reached agreement with the owners of that land, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
The council is currently in discussion with a preferred contractor to run the new sports hub, and it will include cricket and football pitches.
The council held a public consultation into the future of Warren Farm in 2022. More than 1,500 people responded, with 70% wanting the land to be preserved for nature, while many also called for sports provision.
‘A significant step for conservation’
Council leader Peter Mason said: “This declaration establishes a much-needed green lung for this part of the borough. The combination of nature reserve and sports facilities will be a huge benefit to Southall and Hanwell. Warren Farm is a key part of our plans to get people closer to nature and we are delighted to be working with the Brent River Park on the delivery of this community-driven proposal.”
Katie Boyles, who chairs the Brent River and Canal Society, said that she was delighted Warren Farm’s future had been safeguarded and the charity had campaigned for the site to become a nature reserve since 2021.
She said: “A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to our 26,000-plus petition signatories, our volunteers, our local experts and national conservationists who wrote statements of support, and the national and local groups that have been with us all the way.
“We commend Ealing Council for recognising our rewilded meadow habitat’s environmental value. This marks a significant step in Ealing and London’s environmental conservation.”
‘Healthier and more active borough’
Councillor Blerina Hashani, the council’s cabinet member for thriving communities, said the vision for Warren Farm was ‘the best possible long-term solution’. She added: “Southall is a town with substantial health inequalities, and the combination of community sports facilities and nature reserve gives us the best of both worlds. This balanced approach will help to tackle health inequalities, enhance biodiversity and deliver on our pledge to create a greener, healthier, and more active borough.”
Regional park
Warren Farm is due to form an important part of the West London Regional Park stretching through the boroughs of Ealing and Hounslow with a series of connected green spaces and waterways.
