Would you like to see a nature reserve in the borough? How about new sports facilities? Well, what would you say to having both?
They could be on the cards very soon. Plans for Warren Farm in Southall were first revealed by Ealing Council last year. Since then, things have been steadily taking shape in the background.
The first part of the plan has been confirmed and will see the 20-hectare site left to ‘rewild’ and preserved for wildlife and meadow habitats; and the council’s cabinet has agreed it would apply to Natural England to designate the site as a local nature reserve, which would give it protected status. This will give biodiversity a welcome boost in the ongoing fight to tackle the climate crisis.
And the second part of the plan, for new sports facilities on land next to Warren Farm, is making progress, too. The council has received proposals from leisure providers to provide new pitches, courts and changing rooms.
But that’s not all because separate plans for a ‘regional park’ for the borough have taken shape and Warren Farm could now form part of it.
In fact, the revised vision for the regional park could see it spanning the whole ‘length’ of the borough, via a network of green spaces and parks. It could even extend further than that – beyond the borough’s boundary and into neighbouring boroughs, with council-to-council discussions under way.
Council leader Peter Mason said: “This is all about bringing out the best parts of Warren Farm. It used to have a well-used sports field; but has since become a home for a number of species of wildlife, as well as a popular meadow landscape for walking.
“As well as preserving the area for nature to thrive, our plans would give people in Southall and Hanwell a new set of community sports pitches, changing rooms and a new pavilion.”
Councillor Blerina Hashani, the council’s cabinet member for thriving communities, added: “The derelict buildings on the site will be demolished in the coming months, while the council finalises plans with the leisure provider that will create the exciting new sports opportunities for local people.”
