Huge Warren Farm Protest Fails to Sway Council Committee

Over 2,000 estimated to have gathered outside Town Hall

Protestors descend on Ealing Town Hall. Picture: Ealing Green Party

February 22, 2023

Ealing Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee endorsed the decision to restore sports provision to Warren Farm despite the presence of a huge protest outside the Town Hall.

A large crowd turned up this Tuesday evening (21 February) to express opposition to the move which will mean development on land that has been rewilded.

Some ttendees at the family friendly event organised by the Save Warren Farm campaign estimated that over 2,000 people were present. A large skylark prop overlooked the crowd who played skylark birdsong through their mobile phones.

The crowd listened to speeches from campaign activists and from the two council opposition party leaders, Gary Malcolm, for the Liberal Democrats, and Julian Gallant, for the Conservatives. Two members of the London Assembly also spoke, Hina Bokhari, for the Liberal Democrats, and Green Party Deputy Leader Zack Polanski.

The meeting taking place in the Town Hall was required after the Liberal Democrat opposition group ‘called-in’ the decision which meant that a committee of councillors were required to further investigate it. The Conservative group on the council also opposes the plan.

The committee, made up of backbench councillors, heard evidence from Ealing Council’s Deputy Leader, Deirdre Costigan, and from wildlife experts, London Natural History Society botanist, Dr Mark A Spencer and conservationist and founder of the Ealing Wildlife Group, Dr Sean McCormack. However, after nearly two hours of discussion, the Labour Party majority on the committee voted to waive through the proposal approved by the Cabinet last month.

Despite the setback, campaigners for a Nature Reserve on Warren Farm said they were cautiously optimistic. They point out that, although the committee voted to support the council leadership’s proposal there were two important caveats. Firstly it was recommended that a habitat survey of Warren Farm and the adjacent Imperial College site should be carried out before any final decision is made. Secondly, the committee advised that discussions with the adjacent Imperial College site should be revisited, which could open the way for a wider range of options for the mix of sport and nature on the two sites that would see Warren Farm’s wildlife protected.

Young and old at the protest demanded that Warren Farm remains a nature reserve. Picture: Richard Carter photography

Before the meeting, the Warren Farm Nature Reserve campaign group had written to all 70 councillors saying that the council faced ‘significant reputational risk’ if proceeded with the plan. It pointed out the high profile backing its campaign had received from a wide range of wildlife experts, celebrities and conservation organisations and a video has been published outlining the arguments against the council’s policy.

Evidence was presented to the committee on the potential damage to wildlife habitat that the council’s plans could cause with wildlife experts predicting that it would mean the end of the skylark population in the borough.

The committee was told by Dr Mark Spencer, "... It will result in the extinction of the plant species. Those football pitches WILL destroy the habitat."

The council contends that improved sports provision in the borough is needed and its plan will ultimately result in more land in the area being rewilded with public access being opened up to adjacent areas.

Local wildlife campaigner Sean McCormack said, “Ealing Labour is building on the part of @WarrenFarmNR that had the most biodiversity value, and their claim about the 65% that will be untouched is disingenuous... it will NOT compensate the destruction of nature this decision will cause."

Committee member, Liberal Democrat councillor Jon Ball raisde the issue of whether Natural England would endorse the council’s proposals.

The leader of the local Liberal Democrats, Cllr Gary Malcolm said, “Liberal Democrats have repeatedly called for the whole of Warren Farm to be designated as a local Nature Reserve. The council approach means a significant loss of biodiversity and publicly accessible open space. Green space has been shown to be essential to ensuring improved mental health, especially in urban areas. The people of Ealing are speaking but they are not being heard.”

Cllr Gary Malcolm addresses the protest outside Ealing Town Hall. Picture: Ealing Lib Dems

Neil Reynolds, the chair of the Green Party in the borough said on Twitter, “Equally disappointing that the committee voted to proceed to the next stage with their plans to de-wild the nature reserve. The solution is simple: Give Warren Farm Nature reserve status now. All of it.”

Protestors assemble while the meeting was taking place. Picture: Ealing Lib Dems

Katie Boyles, Brent River & Canal Society (BRCS) Trustee and Warren Farm Nature Reserve campaign organiser said afterwards, “Of course, we are disappointed that the councillors did not reject the development proposal outright, knowing the irreversible environmental damage development would cause to Warren Farm Nature Reserve, but the fact that they called for a full habitat survey of both sites is a move in the right direction. The discussion at the meeting showed that at least some of the councillors have taken on board the evidence offered by our expert witnesses and were keen to find out more. The strength of feeling from our family-friendly demonstration outside no doubt helped to focus their minds too.

“This is not over yet. Not by a long way. The council leadership will find it difficult to refuse the recommendation of a thorough habitat review and, at that point, we can bring our experts and our extensive evidence to the table in a manner where it will now have to be acknowledged. We are confident that we can ensure the council do not de-wild Warren Farm Nature Reserve, which, as our experts showed during the meeting, is one of London’s greatest ecological assets.

“National and London-wide policy is calling for Biodiversity Net Gain while Ealing Council’s development plan would mean Biodiversity Net Loss. This is what any decent, expert led independent habitat survey will show.”

The committee vote means that the council can proceed with its plan to identify a partner to work on the provision of football and cricket facilities at the site although campaigners have vowed to continue to fight against the proposal and are asking people to write to their local councillor and sign the petition against development on Warren Farm.