Ealing campaigners have been left disappointed after the Mayor of London fell short of giving Warren Farm's nature conservation petition his full support.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has said that any decision about the future of Warren Farm in Ealing must take into account the site's distinctive value for nature conservation.

Responding to the 10,800 signature petition presented by the Warren Farm Nature Reserve campaign, and to a question asked by London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon, the Mayor said:

"The Warren Farm Nature Reserve Group clearly have a stake in discussions about the site's future, and in the context of my London Environment Strategy and London Plan it would be right for any decisions to fully consider its nature conservation value and role in London's wider network of important greenspaces for people and wildlife."

However, the Mayor stopped short of giving the campaign his full support.

Caroline Pidgeon said: "It's disappointing that the Mayor of London won't give his full support to the campaign to designate Warren Farm Nature Reserve and the surrounding meadows as a Local Nature Reserve.

"Both the Mayor of London and the local council need to listen to residents, nearly 11,000 of whom have supported this petition, and join me in getting right behind the fantastic campaign!"

Warren Farm is a unique area of rewilded urban grassland with species of birds, mammals, plants, reptiles, amphibians and insects which are rare in London recorded thriving on the land.

The proposal to create a nature reserve was put forward by the Brent River & Canal Society (BRCS) in January, to preserve the meadows for future generations and ensure the protection of its rare and endangered species such as the Skylark, a red-listed bird facing UK extinction.

BRCS Trustee and campaign organiser Katie Boyles commented: "We took the decision to include the Mayor of London in the petition, should our meadow once again be facing another inappropriate, large scale development, such as that endorsed by the previous Ealing Council Leader, Julian Bell.

"We are encouraged that the Mayor of London's response confirms the importance of Warren Farm for nature conservation and for our meadow's role in the London Environment Strategy.

"He acknowledges the stake that the Warren Farm Nature Reserve group have in discussions with Ealing Council to ensure Local Nature Reserve (LNR) designation is obtained and it's extremely clear to the Mayor just how important and loved our green space is to the local community from the huge level of support being shown to us.

"Of course, we would have loved for the Mayor to have stated that he believes Warren Farm should be given LNR designation, which he clearly felt unable to do at this point in time, which is disappointing.

"However, our meadows are now very much on his radar thanks to the 10,800 supporters who signed our petition and we will be keeping him informed of our progress."

She stressed: "We simply cannot afford to lose this vast wildflower, rewilded meadow habitat, the biodiversity loss would be catastrophic for London and the UK as a whole.

"We want to see Warren Farm NR set a precedent for what can be achieved to protect wildlife and human health in the borough. Watch this green space."

Council Leader Peter Mason is to have the final decision on the future of Warren Farm NR and Katie said they have had constructive discussions with him to date.