Tireless campaigners secure Local Nature Reserve status for Warren Farm, Hanwell

Members of the Brent River Park and campaigners for the protection of Warren Farm, a 25ha/60acre former sports grounds, after many years, have persuaded London Borough of Ealing to formally declare it as a Local Nature Reserve – Spring 2026

After years of determined grassroots organising, Warren Farm has finally been secured as London’s newest Local Nature Reserve — a landmark victory wrested from the brink of development by thousands of residents who refused to let one of Ealing’s last great meadows be destroyed. The 24.8‑hectare rewilded landscape, home to a quarter of London’s breeding Skylarks as well as Barn Owls, kestrels, rare clovers and threatened invertebrates, is now protected because campaigners mobilised, documented its ecological value, and held the council to account.

This declaration is more than a policy decision: it is the result of sustained community pressure, a 26,000‑strong petition, and years of public challenge to redevelopment plans that would have erased a vital urban wildlife refuge. By securing Warren Farm’s recognition as a Local Nature Reserve, campaigners have gained statutory protection for a site that has become a sanctuary for both nature and residents seeking green space, solace and connection.

The win strengthens the Brent River Park corridor and sets a precedent for defending other threatened meadows across West London. Conservationists and local groups are already pushing for neighbouring sites — Trumper’s Field, Jubilee Meadow, Blackberry Corner and Fox Meadow — to follow Warren Farm’s lead and gain full LNR status. For many, this moment is proof that organised communities can shift the direction of urban planning and reclaim land for nature, climate resilience and public wellbeing.

For further information and commentary by those involved, please follow the links to:

Southall’s Warren Farm declared London’s newest nature reserve

Warren Farm given ‘nature reserve’ status

The Warren Farm blog https://www.warrenfarmnaturereserve.co.uk/blog/together-we-did-it-warrenfarmnr-has-been-officially-declared-a-statutory-local-nature-reserve  includes BBC London News coverage (also on YouTube).