Ealing Wildlife Group are deeply concerned by the proposed plans to construct a 1,200-seat Troubadour Theatre in Walpole Park. To be clear from the outset, this is not an argument against theatre, culture or investment in Ealing. We love the idea of Ealing becoming an even greater cultural destination. But we should not have to sacrifice precious public green space and wildlife habitat to achieve it. We therefore stand alongside Ealing Parks Foundation in strongly opposing the proposed location of the Troubadour Theatre in Walpole Park.
We are extremely concerned about the potential short and long-term impacts of a development of this scale on the park’s wildlife and community access to this open space. Even a three-year development can cause damage that lasts far beyond the term of a lease. Sustained noise and artificial light, construction and servicing, increased traffic and footfall, and the intensive use of green space all have the potential to disturb and displace wildlife and degrade habitats that will take many years to recover.
It is particularly concerning that a proposal with potentially significant consequences for one of Ealing’s central green spaces has progressed this far without meaningful engagement with the borough’s environmental and community groups through the existing mechanisms. It brings into question the Council’s pledges to be open, honest and transparent, as well as their claim to value the time and energy of community groups and volunteers who help to maintain and enhance our precious green spaces for all to enjoy.
Walpole Park is one of central Ealing’s most important green spaces. It is a living ecosystem, and enjoyed by many as such. At a time when our borough is becoming increasingly built-up, and when thousands more people are moving into flats without gardens or access to nature, parks like Walpole are not a luxury. They are essential. Walpole Park is not simply an attractive landscape waiting to be developed or monetised.
Its mature trees, vegetation and green spaces provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife. We know that several species of bat use and forage around the park, including Noctule, Common, Soprano and Nathusius’ Pipistrelles which are priority species nationally and on Ealing Council’s very own Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). Little Owls have been breeding in the park for many years, a testament to the sensitive management of the park for biodiversity benefit. That is truly remarkable in such a central Ealing location. Mature trees, ponds and the wider parkland habitat support nesting birds, insects, amphibians, hedgehogs and countless other species. Several red listed bird species of highest conservation concern are recorded there on the monthly bird walks that have been enjoyed by residents for many years.
The proposed development raises serious ecological questions that must be properly addressed:
- What will be the impact of the construction process?
- What habitat and vegetation will be lost or disturbed?
- What will be the impact of increased lighting on bats and other nocturnal wildlife?
- How will noise, activity and thousands of additional visitors affect wildlife living and breeding in and around the park?
- And perhaps most importantly: what detailed ecological surveys have been undertaken to properly understand what wildlife is currently using this site before such a significant proposal is progressed?
- Who will carry out those assessments?
- Who will independently review their findings?
- Who will ultimately be accountable for preventing, mitigating and remedying any damage caused.
Bats are particularly sensitive to artificial lighting and disturbance. A brightly illuminated entertainment venue operating into the evening could fundamentally alter the way bats move through and forage within the park. Little Owls and other breeding birds also need quiet, suitable habitat. Wildlife cannot simply be moved elsewhere when development arrives. If important habitat is disturbed or lost, the consequences can last long after a supposedly “temporary” structure has gone. And three years is a very long time in the life of an urban ecosystem.
We are living through a nature and climate emergency. Ealing Council has made commitments to biodiversity, climate action and improving our green and blue spaces. At the same time, we are working incredibly hard across the borough to reconnect people with nature, restore habitats and bring wildlife back. It makes no sense to celebrate rewilding and biodiversity on one hand while considering the loss and fragmentation of green space on the other.
Once we accept that our public parks can be used for large-scale commercial development, we set a worrying precedent. Walpole Park is already under immense pressure from the surrounding urban environment. As Ealing continues to grow and become more densely populated, we should be asking how we can protect and enhance the green spaces we still have. Not how much more infrastructure we can fit into them.
We strongly believe that Ealing can have both world-class culture and thriving nature. But we should not be forced to choose between them. Our parks are precious and should not be up for grabs for commercial gain at the expense of nature and the local community’s ability to enjoy them.
There must be more suitable locations for a major theatre development that do not require the occupation of public green space and potential disturbance to wildlife habitat. Ealing has brownfield and development sites that should be properly explored before we consider building on one of our most important parks. Displacing the summer festival series of events to other parks and green spaces also has a cumulative impact on wildlife and ecology in other green spaces, again adding to the problem of fragmentation and loss of biodiversity on a borough level.
We would therefore urge anyone who cares about Walpole Park, nature and the future of green space in Ealing to make their voice heard. Please take action:
- Write to your local councillors and ask them to oppose the proposed development in Walpole Park.
- Ask for full, independent ecological surveys and assessments before any decision is made.
- Ask what impact the development could have on bats, Little Owls, breeding birds and other wildlife.
- Sign the official Ealing Council petition opposing the proposal.
- Share this information with friends, neighbours and anyone who cares about protecting nature and green space in our borough.
- Contribute to our iNaturalist project for the park.
The Council Cabinet agreed the proposal in principle on Wednesday 9 September 2026. This is a crucial moment for Walpole Park.
We have a responsibility to think not just about the next three years, but about the kind of borough we want to leave for future generations. Parks are not empty spaces waiting for development. They are places where people connect with nature. They are refuges for wildlife. They are vital for our health, our wellbeing and our resilience to climate change. Once green space is gone, or its ecological value is degraded, getting it back is not easy.
Let’s protect Walpole Park. Let’s protect the wildlife that calls it home. And let’s show that Ealing can invest in culture and regeneration without sacrificing nature in the process.
Please contact your councillors. Please sign the official Council petition. And please make your voice heard.
