THE London brand of countryside charity, CPRE, has named Warren Farm as one of the ten new parks it wants to see created in London.

With London having just half the green space it needs for its population size, the CPRE sees an urgent need to protect these neglected areas, which might otherwise be threatened by development.

This aim aligns with that of the Brent River & Canal Society (BRCS), which launched a campaign in January to designate Warren Farm and its surrounding meadows as a statutory Local Nature Reserve (LNR).

The BRCS started a petition, which has now attracted more than 7,000 signatures.

CPRE London and the BRCS hope that this partnership between a national and a local environmental charity will help persuade politicians at borough and London-wide level to consider these proposals and work with local groups to create Warren Farm Nature Reserve.

Since Ealing Council stopped using Warren Farm as a sports facility, the meadows have rewilded and now form a unique urban grassland.

Species of birds, mammals, plants, reptiles, amphibians and insects which are rare in London have been recorded thriving on the land.

This proposal would 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.

Ealing Council voted over a decade ago to seek LNR status for the surrounding meadows but has yet to complete this process.

In January, the council published its Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy, which aims to expand the borough's network of green spaces and to increase meadow habitats by 10% by 2025.

The campaign has already gained some prominent backers, such as Lord Randall of Uxbridge, forensic botanist Mark A. Spencer, the Barn Owl Trust, West London Ramblers and London National Park City.

It calls on the Leader of Ealing Council, Julian Bell, and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to support the designation of Warren Farm Nature Reserve and the surrounding meadows as a statutory LNR.

The campaigners aim to see this on the agenda for the Mayoral election this May and next year's Council elections.

CPRE Head of Campaigns, Alice Roberts, said: "We want the London Mayoral election candidates and the relevant London boroughs to support the local campaigns and make a clear statement for each site that it will not be released for development; to promise to give each site a new identity as a park to be managed in conjunction with the local community; and to encourage landowners to bring down fences and reinstate public access.

"Warren Farm Nature Reserve, a large area of abandoned former playing fields and land, was at risk of being given away but now, in cooperation with the local charity the BRCS, this unique rewilded space does not have to be lost and can be a jewel for nature and physical activity for years to come as a LNR."

Warren Farm Nature Reserve campaign organiser and BRCS trustee Katie Boyles said: "It means a lot to us to be working with CPRE London.

"Their support and knowledge has already proved invaluable to us.

"The COVID crisis has shown us the importance of access to nature, improving our health and well-being.

"With only 2% of wildflower meadows left in the UK, it is crucial that these meadow habitats are safeguarded from future development as Warren Farm Nature Reserve."

BRCS trustee and local naturalist Phil Belman added: "Our expert surveys have provided overwhelming evidence to justify the statutory