Ealing Council: Protect Grove Farm green space

Ealing Council: Protect Grove Farm green space

Started
17 December 2022
Petition to
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This petition made change with 1,312 supporters!

Why this petition matters

Started by Michael Pilkington

The wood and meadows at Grove Farm, North Greenford, Ealing, have been a green space for Londoners to enjoy for over one hundred years and an important refuge for wildlife. It is a beautiful place to be surrounded by nature, offering relief from the hustle and bustle of city life and contributing to a sense of tranquility.

The green space has remained protected and undeveloped, becoming a haven for biodiversity whilst the suburbs have built up around it. It acts as a wildlife corridor enabling the connection of green spaces from Harrow on the Hill to Horsenden Hill. It is home to valuable plant species: wood anemones, bluebells, oaks, and wild service trees. Many animals feed and live here: woodpeckers, tawny owls, stock doves, kestrels, red kites, slow worms and many more. The importance of this site for nature is recognised by Ealing Council as parts are classified as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) of Grade I Borough Importance. 

Ealing Council is currently drafting its Local Plan, an important document which shapes the way the borough is developed for the next 15 years. Despite Grove Farm’s importance as a green space for people and for nature, Ealing Council is now planning to remove the protective status of Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) from Grove Farm in the new Local Plan. MOL is a designation which prevents green areas being built on unless very special circumstances exist. 

The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world and we face the threat of diminishing  biodiversity. Ealing Council recognises the need to enhance biodiversity throughout the borough in its Biodiversity Action Plan 2022. Furthermore, in 2022, the Labour Party was re-elected to run Ealing Council with a pledge to give back to nature through the creation of 10 new parks and open spaces or 800,000m2 (equivalent to 130 football pitches). The current draft of the Local Plan also recognises the importance of increasing access to green and open spaces as part of dealing with inequality, ensuring health and well-being of residents and building thriving communities. The Local Plan re-emphasises Ealing Council’s commitment to maintaining, enhancing and expanding the network of green infrastructure in the borough and improving biodiversity. So why are they removing protections over green open spaces that already exist?  

Consequently, we call on Ealing Council: 

  1. keep the existing Metropolitan Open Land designation containing Grove Farm (described as MOL2 in Ealing Council's Greenbelt & MOL review 2022);
  2. formally recognise in the Local Plan that Grove Farm (MOL2) is an integral part of the green corridor that links Horsenden Hill through to the Piccadilly line and MOL in Harrow. This includes extending the existing green corridor designation from Whitton Avenue East to include Whitton Avenue West connecting to the southern section of Grove Farm;
  3. to improve the protection of this area by supporting Friends of Grove Farm’s vision which includes extending the area covered by the Local Nature Reserve designation which provides higher protection than MOL.

These actions will help to ensure that this natural open space in North Greenford remains intact for the public and wildlife for the benefit of future generations. Once the space is lost, it’s lost forever.  

If you are interested in supporting Grove Farm further, join Friends of Grove Farm

Friends of Grove Farm brings together a group of people who love Grove Farm and want to support a greenspace where local wildlife and the community can flourish. We run conservation events and nature based activities regularly throughout the year. 

Mailing list: https://friendsofgrovefarm.wixsite.com/community/join-us

Facebook group: Friends of Grove Farm

Twitter: @grovefarmealing

Instagram: @friendsofgrovefarm

 

wood anemones at Grove Farm

 

Wood anemones at Grove Farm

 

 

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