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Park View Place Development

Tower Block Plans Threatens Grove Farm Nature Reserve

We at Friends of Grove Farm, have been calling on Ealing Council and developers Interland to urgently reconsider latest proposals for Park View Place. The plans currently place four high-rise towers - ranging from 10-16 storeys - on one or both the Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) which covers one of the borough’s most ecologically valuable sites: Grove Farm Local Nature Reserve. 

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While SINCs protect important habitats and species, MOL is London’s equivalent to Green Belt. It exists to safeguard open areas that shape the city’s structure, offer public access to nature, support recreation, and protect visual openness and biodiversity.

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To help understand the issue, we have created a 3D diagram.

What’s at Stake: Loss of Mature Woodland and Vital Wildlife Habitat

The current proposals would involve the removal of part of a mature broadleaf woodland embankment, which falls within the SINC boundary at Grove Farm. This woodland is recognised as a Habitat of Principal Importance—one of the UK’s most valuable and threatened habitat types, which public bodies like Ealing Council are legally required to protect. According to the Woodland Trust, only 12% of the UK’s land area is woodland. As they put it: 

“Woodland now makes up such a small part of our landscape that even small losses may have irredeemable impacts on the flora and fauna found in an area.” (Source: Woodland Trust). 

The developers say the scheme will include 40% public open space and over 100 new trees. But while Friends of Grove Farm welcome thoughtful landscaping, flowerbeds and saplings cannot replace established woodland.
This is a living, functioning woodland supporting bats, owls, insects and birds.  It can take decades for new trees to reach the ecological value that this habitat already provides.

Mature woodland ecosystems are deeply interconnected. Removing even a small section can reduce habitat complexity, disturb wildlife corridors and degrade the biodiversity value of adjacent woodland (source: Woodland Trust). Tree planting, while welcome, cannot recreate the rich, species-dense soils, complex canopy layers, or ecological stability that develops over decades in established woodland.

Research reviewed by the Woodland Trust also emphasises the importance of buffer zones between developments and woodland edges, to reduce the harmful effects of light, noise, trampling, and habitat fragmentation.

In short, this is not a case of "green lost, green gained." It is the irreversible loss and degradation of a rare, protected habitat that supports both wildlife and local wellbeing, making the Local Nature Reserve more exposed to artificial light, noise, and disturbance.

Tall Buildings Harm Metropolitan Open Land: Shading, Light Pollution and Loss of Openness

The proposed towers backing on to Grove Farm range from 10 to 14 storey. At such heights they will dominate Grove Farm’s skyline, casting deep shadows, introducing light pollution, and permanently altering the peaceful character of this cherished green space.

At present, only one building is visible from within the reserve. Grove Farm’s visual and acoustic seclusion gives visitors a rare feeling of being far from the city—something increasingly precious in urban London.  Visitors often comment that in Grove Farm you feel like you’re in the countryside.  You can hear birdsong, not traffic. That sense of openness and immersion in nature is what makes it special.

This quality is not just incidental—it is protected by policy. Grove Farm sits within Metropolitan Open Land (MOL), London’s equivalent of Green Belt. MOL exists to preserve open views, give people space to breathe, and ensure London keeps green spaces for recreation, nature, and everyday enjoyment and well-being. Under the London Plan (Policy G3) and national planning guidance, development on MOL is deemed inappropriate unless there are exceptional circumstances.Towering buildings on the edge of Grove Farm would undermine the openness that MOL designation exists to protect—and once that skyline is changed, it cannot be reversed.

Watercourse and Soil at Risk

The plans also place buildings next to Coston’s Brook, the only natural stream flowing through the reserve. The Woodland Trust has warned that removing tree cover near watercourses can lead to increased soil erosion, runoff, and pollution, which in turn can cause long-term damage to streams and the surrounding habitats. Tree roots help stabilise banks, slow the flow of water, and filter out pollutants - without them, water quality and wildlife suffer (source: Woodland Trust).  Adding to this, the construction of 10-14 storey buildings directly on the steep embankment above the brook risks compounding this damage—disturbing soil, increasing surface runoff, and introducing pollutants during both construction and long-term use (source: ukconstructionmedia).

This Doesn’t Have to Be a Zero-Sum Game

Friends of Grove Farm emphasise that we welcome new housing, particularly affordable homes, provision of a community space, green landscaping and better public access to Grove Farm. But are seeking that the developers revise their plans so that:

  • No buildings are constructed within the SINC boundary nor within a 15m buffer zone

  • Heights are reduced near the nature reserve to no more 6 storeys (in keeping with the Local Plan)

  • Mature trees and woodland embankments are retained

  • Watercourses and habitats are protected and enhanced


We’re asking for sensible, respectful development that coexists with one of Ealing’s beautiful wild spaces.

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