Representation by Arnold Woolley
- Date submitted
- 12 March 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am not a local to the area. However, I am a keen environmentalist who knows the area. From that I would respectfully point out that it is of such value in the scheme of natural areas within our nation that Natural England are seeking to have it listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a registration which I fully support. Swanscomb, because of its peninsula situation is a unique location comprising a mozaic of assorted coastal habitats, wetlands, grasslands and scrub bushes created over the centuries by the interface of natural and human activities. The site contains locally and nationally important populations of Otter, Water Vole, newts and bats. In addition, It is a breeding area for a dozen or more red-listed Birds of Conservation Concern, as well as being home for better than a couple of hundred invertebrate species also of conservation concern, to name the critically endangered jumping spider, Attulus Distinguendus, which has only one single other location in the UK. My understanding is that so far, and research in the area is ongoing, a dozen or more varieties of nationally scarce vascular plants are known to be thriving in the area. History teaches us that Theme Parks come and go, but our natural assets need to be protected in perpetuity, because nature and our essential need to work alongside it, rolls on forever.