| Warren Farm | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Type | Metropolitan Open Land |
| Location | Southall, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′01″N0°20′41″W / 51.50035706510714°N 0.34475048775123°W [1] |
| Area | 61 acres (25 ha) |
Warren Farm is a 61-acre (25 hectare) plot of Metropolitan Open Land located in Norwood Green (Southall) that was previously used as playing fields by local schools. The site also has disused changing rooms and pavilions. After falling out of use as playing fields, it is now a wildflower meadow.
As the name suggests, Warren Farm was initially a farm. It was part of the Osterley Park estate and was acquired by the London County Council from the Countess of Jersey 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. The Brent River and Canal Society, together with local residents opposed to development plans, 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]
A consultation was opened in 2022 which was welcomed by Southall F.C., who had identified the site as suitable for their club. [8]
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]
In January 2023 Ealing Council announced their intention to develop just over half of Warren Farm as a sports facility whilst also saying they would continue to provide land for the wildlife. [11] 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.” [12]
At a 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]
Before the council meeting, in a video produced by the Ealing Wildlife Group, a number of prominent wildlife experts and presenters expressed their opposition to Ealing Council's plans and support for the Local Nature Reserve campaign. [15]
in June 2023 a Freedom of Information request by Ealing Council's opposition leader Gary Malcolm revealed that a report in 2018 for Ealing Council recommended that Warren Farm be designated a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC). The report by ecology consultants was based on a survey carried out in 2017 but was not published. [16] [17]
On 27 February 2024, Ealing Council announced its intention to designate all of Warren Farm as a Local Nature Reserve. [18] This decision was passed by Ealing Council's Cabinet on 6 March 2024. [19]
Greenford is a large town in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, England, lying 11 miles (18 km) west from Charing Cross. It has a population of 46,787 inhabitants, or 62,126 with the inclusion of Perivale.
Hanwell is a town in the London Borough of Ealing. It is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Ealing Broadway and had a population of 28,768 as of 2011. It is the westernmost location of the London post town.
The London Borough of Ealing is a London borough in London, England. It comprises the districts of Acton, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale and Southall. With a population of 367,100 inhabitants, it is the third most populous London borough.
Perivale is an area of Greater London, 9.5 miles (15.3 km) west of Charing Cross. It is the smallest of the seven towns which make up the London Borough of Ealing.
West Ealing railway station is on the Great Western Main Line in Ealing, situated in west London. It is 6 miles 46 chains (10.6 km) down the line from London Paddington and is situated between Ealing Broadway to the east and Hanwell to the west. Its three-letter station code is WEA.
The River Brent is a river in west and northwest London, England, and a tributary of the River Thames. 17.9 miles (28.8 km) in length, it rises in the Borough of Barnet and flows in a generally south-west direction before joining the Tideway stretch of the Thames at Brentford.
West Ealing is a district in the London Borough of Ealing, in West London. The district is about three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) west of Ealing Broadway. Although there is a long history of settlement in the area, West Ealing in its present form is less than one hundred years old. West Ealing falls under the postcode district W13 and neighbours Hanwell, Ealing, Perivale and Northfields
Greenford is a London Underground and National Rail station in Greenford, Greater London, and is owned and managed by London Underground. It is the terminus of the National Rail Greenford branch line, 2 miles 40 chains down the line from West Ealing and 9 miles 6 chains measured from London Paddington. On the Central line, it is between Perivale and Northolt stations while on National Rail, the next station to the south on the branch is South Greenford.
Ealing North is a constituency, created in 1950. Since the 2019 general election, it has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by James Murray of Labour Co-op.
Ealing was a local government district from 1863 to 1965 around the town of Ealing which formed part of the built up area of London until 1965, where it became part of Greater London.
The London Borough of Ealing, one of the outer London boroughs although not on the periphery, has over 100 parks and open spaces within its boundaries. These include allotments, cemeteries, playgrounds, and golf courses in addition to the larger open spaces such as nature conservation areas.
Elthorne was a hundred of the historic county of Middlesex, England.
Ealing Hospital is a district general NHS hospital, part of London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, located in the Southall district of the London Borough of Ealing, West London, England. It lies on the south side of the Uxbridge Road 8.5 miles west of central London. It sits between Southall town centre to the west and Hanwell to the east. It is built on land that was once part of St. Bernard's Hospital which is run by West London Mental Health (NHS) Trust. The Ealing Hospital Interchange bus station is adjacent to the hospital.
Northala Fields is a park located in Northolt, in the London Borough of Ealing. It was opened in 2008 and consists of four artificial hills standing next to the A40 Western Avenue, as well as several fishing lakes, a large field area a children's play area and adjacent café. The hills were constructed using rubble from the demolition of the original Wembley Stadium, which was closed in 2000 and demolished in 2003. The park was created as part of the Northolt and Greenford Country Park project, and backs onto the older Rectory Park.
Northolt Manor is a 1.8 hectare scheduled monument, local nature reserve and Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade II, in Northolt in the London Borough of Ealing. It is owned and managed by Ealing Council.
Islip Manor Meadows is a 23.75 hectare Local Nature Reserve and Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation in Northolt in the London Borough of Ealing. It is owned and managed by Ealing Council.
The 2022 Ealing London Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022, under new election boundaries, which increased the number of Ealing London Borough Council councillors to 70. The elections took place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom.
Electionsfor Ealing Council in London were held on 2 May 2002. The 2002 United Kingdom local elections took place on the same day.
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