London Resort: Wildlife charities unite against theme park

Three conservation charities have come together to object against plans for a theme park on a "nationally important" wildlife site in Kent.

The London Resort is currently going through the planning application process and, if approved, work could start on Swanscombe's marshes in 2022.

Kent Wildlife Trust, Buglife and the RSPB want it to be declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Andy Martin, from London Resort, said it planned to "enhance" the habitat.

If approved, the brownfield site would be transformed into the first major theme park to be built in Europe in nearly 30 years.

The 535-acre site would have two theme parks, a water park, hotels, shopping centres and entertainment venues, and is ultimately expected to support 17,000 jobs.

The wildlife groups, however, are calling on Natural England to step in. If the conservation body declares the area a SSSI, it would be given more protection.

A spokesperson for the wildlife groups said recent surveys revealed the Swanscombe Peninsula was home to 250 rare and threatened species - thought to be more than any other brownfield site in the UK.

That includes bees, beetles, bats, nightingales, reptiles, water voles and the critically endangered distinguished jumping spider - a species found in only one other site in the country.

A public consultation last year broadly backed the £3.5bn project, with the majority of respondents supportive of the resort's approach to the environment and biodiversity.

Mr Martin, a director of London Resort, said a large proportion of the peninsula would remain undeveloped, and some designated wildlife zones would be closed off to the public to protect the habitat.

However, the wildlife groups said the plans still left the "rich diversity" of life "under-threat".

"This development plan has, bizarrely, been deemed a Nationally Important Infrastructure Project, a process normally reserved for major roads, airports or power plants, that will allow it to bypass many of the normal planning requirements," they said.

Emma Marsh of the RSPB described Swanscombe as a "nationally important wildlife site" and said the organisation was "increasingly concerned about the cumulative threat of unsustainable development on nature across England".

The brownfield site was previously occupied by a gas works and landfill, and used by the aggregate industry, before it was returned to nature.

Mr Martin said: "The area has been largely left, unmanaged for decades. According to experts, if it continues to be unmanaged, it will eventually turn to scrub and the precious habitats will be lost.

"We are committed to delivering a net gain in biodiversity."