Warren Farm, Southall

As the name suggests, Warren Farm was initially a farm which was acquired by the London County Council in April 1925. [2] It was run as a farm until the 1960s, when it was converted for use as a sports ground. Control was handed over to Ealing Council in 1990.

In October 2017, wheelie bins stored at Warren Farm caught fire leading to a response of 10 fire engines as well as “70 firefighters and officers.”[3]

The site has many plant and animal species; most notably skylarks. Bats, barn owls and 15 locally important plant species are also present on the site.[4]

Queens Park Rangers F.C. (QPR) announced that Warren Farm was their desired site for a new first team training facility. They proposed to build a two storey training centre and a three storey operations building, as well as other buildings. In addition, they planned to build 11 football pitches and “3 cricket wickets” as well as over 400 car parking spaces.[5] Ealing Council granted them planning permission. Legal challenges were issued by local residents, but the final appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court.[6] However nearly 10 years after first announcing their intention, QPR stated they no longer preferred Warren Farm for their training ground, instead moving to a site in Heston.[7][8]

While QPR pursued their plans, Warren Farm was re-wilding naturally. Local residents opposed to development plans and the Brent River and Canal Society proposed and petitioned for the area to gain Local Nature Reserve status; their campaign gained over 3,000 signatures in the first week.[9] The petition stood at 20,000 signatures by March 2023.[10]

Ealing Council announced their intention to use part of the area to build facilities for sports whilst also wanting to preserve the nature that had grown. They said, “We want to develop plans for this space for people both to enjoy nature and preserve its wild character and provide sports facilities for local people.”[11] A consultation was opened in 2022 which was welcomed by Southall F.C., who had identified the site as suitable for their club.[12]

The publication of the consultation results led to varying claims: proponents of nature reserve status suggested that majority view was in favour, whilst the council stated that the respondents to the survey were not representative of the local area.[4]

At a council meeting on 21 February 2023, the council approved the plans for sport facilities on the site. This attracted a protest in front of Ealing Town Hall with reports of numbers of protesters varying from 250 to 2000 (with local news sources indicating that the likely figure was nearer to the lower end).[13] [14]