Representation by Rachel Barford
- Date submitted
- 12 March 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I have heard that, since I was a teenager 40 years ago, British wildlife has declined by 60%. This really shocks me to the core, that this has happened in my (relatively) short lifetime. Habitats such as Swanscombe Marshes are absolutely vital in supporting what wildlife we have left. The uniqueness of this new SSSI, having a range of habitats such as coastal environments, grasslands, scrub and wetlands mean that a huge diversity of wildlife can be supported here in a way that they can’t in other locations. The proposal may mean the developers offering to move the wildlife to other locations, but in practice this is rarely successful, certainly in this case, as nowhere else could offer the same diversity of habitats. Wildlife is so much under threat, and this environment is so unique, that it is devastating that anyone could propose to destroy it. Surely this infrastructure project could be built elsewhere, if it needs to be built at all?