A petition calling on Ealing Council to stop plans for a temporary 1,200-seat Troubadour theatre in Walpole Park has closed with 5,250 signatures, passing the threshold for a full council debate subject to verification.
The month-long petition closed at 11.59pm on Sunday (4 October 2026), having passed the 3,671-signature requirement under the council’s petition rules.
Campaigners say the Grade II listed park is an inappropriate location for the theatre and have raised concerns about its impact on park users and wildlife, as well as noise and light pollution.
Ealing Council will now verify the signatures before confirming whether the petition has officially met the required threshold. It is the first Ealing Council e-petition to reach that level since new petition rules were introduced by the Labour-run council in July 2025.
The 3,671-signature threshold is equivalent to 1% of Ealing’s population based on the 2021 Census. It replaced the previous thresholds of 1,500 signatures for a borough-wide petition and 750 for a single ward.
The change was criticised by residents and opposition councillors at the time, while the council said petitions reaching a full council debate should demonstrate broad public support.
Subject to verification, Ealing Council has said the earliest the petition could be debated is 8 December 2026, but campaigners are calling for it to be heard sooner.
The Save Walpole Park Coalition claims local resident and petition organiser Nick Lane has been told by Ealing Council head of democratic services Sam Bailey that a debate on 8 December 2026 would also be contingent on the Mayor agreeing it could be heard then.
The coalition is challenging the timetable and is calling on Ealing Council to find a way for the petition to be heard before December.
Explaining why it could not be debated at the next full council meeting on 13 October 2026, Mr Bailey told Mr Lane: “We have another petition on the agenda that was submitted first so we wouldn’t be able to take it as we can only take one debate petition per council meeting.”
He also said time was needed to verify signatures, particularly for petitions with thousands of names.
According to campaigners, the Save Walpole Park petition reached the 3,671-signature threshold on 27 September 2026.
Mr Lane criticised the long process needed for verification, saying: “Ironically, the very success of the petition in gaining such a large number of signatures is counting against it because Ealing Council say it will take time to verify it. So the strong voice of the public is being silenced through arcane procedural rules and anti-democratic interpretations of them.”
The coalition has also drawn a contrast between the petition process and comments made by Ealing Council leader Councillor Peter Mason at the Labour Party Conference less than a week earlier.
Speaking about devolution, Councillor Mason said Prime Minister Andy Burnham had “set out a powerful case to rewire the state, devolving power from Whitehall to communities”.
He added: “But it won’t mean anything if power doesn’t reach the council, the ward, the streets and the kitchen table – devolution that stops at combined authorities is devolution that stops short of people it is meant to serve.”
Responding to the comments, Mr Lane said: “Far from granting power to the people of Ealing, this is a travesty of procedure over substance which will frustrate local democracy in action.”
He added: “We urge the Council to take steps to allow the petition to be debated now. The Save Walpole Park campaigners will be exploring all potential means of enabling the petition to be debated before the deal is done.”
The coalition is calling on the Mayor to intervene to allow the petition to be heard on 13 October 2026, including through an extraordinary council meeting, and wants officers to complete verification of the signatures as quickly as possible. It is also calling for a review of the council’s petition rules.
Campaigners say they are concerned that if the petition is not debated until December, consultation and planning processes connected with the proposed theatre could have concluded by then.
Campaigners say their next steps will include preparing objections to the proposals as part of the consultation and planning process, lobbying cabinet members and Troubadour Theatres, raising questions at council meetings and organising events and a protest.
The coalition has also launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for professional advice and says it could seek a judicial review if planning permission is eventually granted.
The petition was launched on 4 September 2026 by Mr Lane, who lives near Walpole Park. It called on the council “to not progress the proposal” and urged cabinet members not to give approval to the development.
Reacting to the final total of 5,250 signatures, Mr Lane said: “Our reaction is one of delight and surprise because when we launched the petition we thought it would be difficult to meet the threshold for a full council debate but the local response has been overwhelming – it sends the clearest of messages to the Council about the strength of community feeling on this issue.”
Members of the Save Walpole Park Coalition spent the month leafleting homes, speaking to residents and campaigning in different parts of the borough, including Pitshanger, Hanwell and Ealing Common, as well as at Ealing Broadway station.
Campaigners have also been seeking further information from Ealing Council about its consideration of alternative locations for the proposed theatre.
Councillor Lauren Wall, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for thriving communities, whose portfolio includes culture, arts and parks and open spaces, previously told Mr Lane: “Following a review of potential locations, it was concluded that the council did not own any other suitable site in the area apart from the space currently used for summer festivals.”
Mr Lane says he has asked Councillor Wall on four occasions for a copy of the review but has not received it. He said other Freedom of Information requests submitted by campaigners have also yet to receive responses.
The theatre plans have faced opposition from all three opposition party groups on Labour-run Ealing Council – the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Greens.
Objections and concerns have also been raised by Ealing Parks Foundation, Ealing Wildlife Group and Ealing Central and Acton Labour MP Dr Rupa Huq.
Ealing Parks Foundation co-chairs Jane Fernley and Paul Carter previously told EALING.NEWS: “Ealing Parks Foundation strongly objects to the proposed location of the Troubadour Theatre in Walpole Park; a much needed, high quality green space in central Ealing.”
They also raised concerns about the potential impact on park users, residents, green space, trees and wildlife.
Ealing Wildlife Group previously told EALING.NEWS: “We are extremely concerned about the potential short and long-term impacts of a development of this scale on the park’s wildlife.”
The group has highlighted wildlife recorded in Walpole Park, including several species of bats and breeding Little Owls.
Dr Huq has also raised concerns about the loss of public green space and previously told EALING.NEWS: “There are a number of unanswered questions that would need to be addressed for such a dramatic loss of vanishingly rare public green space.”
The proposed Troubadour Ealing Broadway Theatre would have 1,200 seats and operate in Walpole Park for three years, with additional time allowed for construction and dismantling.
Ealing Council’s cabinet agreed in principle last month (9 September 2026) to progress plans for a lease with Troubadour Theatres, subject to planning permission. A further cabinet decision would be required before the lease is granted.
Ealing Council has previously said the temporary theatre would allow it to establish whether there is sufficient demand for a permanent theatre in the borough while generating income for parks and bringing more visitors to local businesses.
Council leader Councillor Peter Mason told the cabinet meeting on 9 September 2026 that the proposal was temporary, saying: “In four years’ time, there will be no theatre on Walpole Park. That is the baseline position.”
EALING.NEWS has approached Troubadour Theatres for comment on a number of occasions since the plans were announced but has not received a response.
