Revised plans for the future of Warren Farm will bring ‘the best of both worlds’ – with the approximately 20-hectare site becoming a local nature reserve, while a new sports ground will be built on additional land next to it.
The new plans are to be discussed at a meeting of Ealing Council’s cabinet next Wednesday. They would see the council take forward an agreement with Imperial College, subject to surveys and contracts, to take control of a piece of land just to the north of Warren Farm, for the new sports pitches.
The whole rewilded Warren Farm site, as it currently stands, will then be designated as a nature reserve by the council.
As well as preserving the area for nature to thrive, people in Southall and Hanwell will have renewed community sports pitches, changing rooms and a new pavilion.
‘The best of both worlds’
Council leader Peter Mason said: “Ever since the start of our plans to deliver both sports and rewilding at Warren Farm, we’ve worked to try and secure the best of both worlds.
“So, we’re over the moon to have agreed with Imperial College that the new sports pitches can go on their land to the north of Warren Farm. It means that all of the existing green space that people know as Warren Farm today, can continue to be rewilded.
“It means we can finally move forward to getting rid of the old, dilapidated buildings and get on with delivering a community sports facility that Southall and Hanwell can be proud of.
“We will continue to want to work in partnership with local residents and campaigners to deliver a bold, community led plan to safeguard Warren Farm’s open and biodiverse future.”
A bold vision for the environment
Councillor Deirdre Costigan, the council’s cabinet member for climate action, said: “We want Warren Farm to become an official nature reserve so that it will not only be a fabulous place for communities today, but also well into the future.”
“Rewilding and greening parts of the borough are a key part of our climate emergency strategy and Warren Farm’s combination of green space, trees and wildlife habitats is ideal to help us to achieve our bold vision of net zero carbon emissions by 2030.”
Councillor Polly Knewstub, the council’s cabinet member for thriving communities, said: “Once the borough’s largest sports ground, Warren Farm was left unused for 14 years while its future was discussed, and the green areas were reclaimed by nature.
“It was overdue a plan to make the most of what this land offers us, and this new deal with Imperial College gives us the chance to do just that.”
Plans are expected to be discussed at the next meeting of the council’s cabinet on 6 March before they are formally agreed.
As you can see in the video above, Councillors Mason, Costigan and Knewstub visited Warren Farm last week.
