Council Dismisses Claim of Shrinking Nature Reserve
Opposition spot discrepancy in report on Warren Farm
Council says that over half the site will still become a nature reserve
October 23, 2025
Ealing Council’s commitment to designating Warren Farm as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) has come under renewed scrutiny following questions raised at a recent Cabinet meeting. Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Gary Malcolm, challenged the Council over apparent discrepancies in its latest performance report, which referenced a reduced area of 20 hectares — five fewer than previously agreed.
The Council had twice committed to designating the full 25-hectare site as a nature reserve, first in March 2024 and again in July 2025. These commitments were supported by published maps and Cabinet reports that clearly outlined the boundary of Warren Farm and distinguished it from neighbouring land owned by Imperial College London, earmarked for future sports provision.
At the 15 October Cabinet meeting, Councillor Malcolm asked for clarification after noticing conflicting figures in the Council Plan Performance Report for Q1 2025/26. The report cited both 20 and 22 hectares as the area to be rewilded. When pressed, the Council Leader described the discrepancy as “a typo” and confirm that the area originally agreed to would be rewilded but declined to amend the report during the meeting.
Cllr Malcolm expressed concern that the Council may be quietly revising its plans. “Liberal Democrats working with campaigners for Warren Farm Nature Reserve had a clear guarantee TWICE from Ealing Council that the Local Nature Reserve would be 25 hectares in size,” he said. “If it is a typo they could agree to change it in the meeting, but they did not.”
Environmental campaigners have echoed these concerns. Katie Boyles, Chair of the Brent River Park charity and organiser of the Warren Farm Nature Reserve campaign, said the use of outdated figures had caused confusion. “We are surprised that the Cabinet Progress Report used numbers from what sounds like an out-of-date document,” she said. “Reducing the size of our Local Nature Reserve by a fifth would have had serious negative consequences for our species-rich meadow.”
Ms Boyles noted that the campaign’s dialogue with the Council had been slow but constructive, and welcomed reassurances from Councillor Blerina Hashani, Cabinet Member for Thriving Communities, that the full site would still be designated. “We remain in constructive dialogue with Ealing Council and are looking forward to celebrating next year when Warren Farm Nature Reserve becomes officially designated,” she added.
An Ealing Council spokesperson said, “The size of the Local Nature Reserve planned for Warren Farm has not been reduced since 2021. The earlier figure was an estimate based on assumptions at that time. It wasn’t a deliberate reduction, and the council hasn’t stepped back from its original commitment.”
The site, which covers nearly 25 hectares according to Ealing Parks data, has been the subject of sustained public interest, with over 26,000 people signing a petition in support of full nature reserve status.
The Council is expected to confirm the final designation in 2026, following further consultation and planning.
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