Representation by Ray Morris
- Date submitted
- 12 March 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The increasingly catastrophic loss of biodiversity taking place, particularly in the UK, is sufficient in itself to retain the Swanscombe peninsula as a site for wild plants and animals. Further reasons, if they are needed, are related to education and health. As a headteacher in the nearby Medway Towns I know from experience the importance of having wildlife areas close by to educate and enrich the lives of young people growing up in the increasingly crowded and nature-deprived environs of London and north Kent. As the surrounding natural areas have been steadily eroded and industrialised, the difficulties of providing first hand experience of the natural world as part of young peoples’ education have increased, along with the urgent need to provide this if they are to be provided with the knowledge to conserve what biodiversity and natural resources still remain. Destroying the wildlife of Swanscombe will contribute to future destruction of biodiversity elsewhere. The rise in adolescent mental ill-health has been commensurate with the reduction of wild areas. Evidence of the benefits of access to nature for mental health is compelling. An afternoon in a Disney theme park (for those with the money to pay for it) cannot be compared with permanent free access to a natural place. To destroy Swanscombe for commercial profit will diminish the health, education and life chances of generations of young people to come.