Representation by Jonathan Wallace
- Date submitted
- 13 March 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am deeply concerned by the proposal to build a theme park on Swanscombe Marshes. My objection is based upon the fact that the development could destroy precious habitat that supports an abundance of rare and threatened wildlife. It is easy to characterise the land at Swanscombe Marshes as ‘wasteland’ or other negatively charged terms but to do so is misleading and ill-informed. The site may be defined as ‘brownfield’, indicating it has a past history of industrial use but this very history, combined with the site’s location on the Thames estuary has led to the development of a wonderful array of wetland, grass and scrub habitats. The quality of the habitats present at Swanscombe is reflected by the recent designation of the site as a SSSI, based on its exceptional diversity of species and the rarity of many of these. Swanscombe is important for wildlife including birds, mammals and plants but is particularly important for invertebrates, with over 250 species of conservation concern. This includes the Distinguished Jumping Spider Attulus distinguendus, which is known to occur at just one other UK site. The destruction of these populations caused by developing over the site would be a devastating loss to biodiversity and utterly at odds with government promises to reverse the decline in wildlife that has been ongoing in this country for decades. The loss of habitat at Swanscombe Marshes would not be an isolated case on the Thames estuary. On both sides of the river there has been long term loss of grazing marshes and other important habitats to development and there are still threats facing remaining important sites. Collectively these developments represent a threat of ‘death by a thousand cuts’ to the remaining wildlife of the area. The developer talks about ‘net gain’ in terms of biodiversity but this is, at best, a risky bet. The existing biological characteristics of the site will be lost beneath a funfair and there is no guarantee that anything comparable can be created elsewhere. All too often, mitigation falls far short of what is promised but by then it is too late and irreparable losses have been suffered. If land is available to create a new habitat mosaic comparable in extent and richness to what is present at Swanscombe Marshes, then why is the development not simply built there if it must be built at all? I have grown up in a World that is much poorer in terms of wildlife abundance and richness than the World my parents and grandparents grew up in and I do not want my grandchildren to grow up in one that is poorer still. During my life I have seen familiar species become scarce and national biodiversity indicators show that this depressing trend is true across a wide range of taxa and different habitats. We cannot allow this to continue, and I implore you to recognise that Swanscombe Marshes is the wrong place for a theme park.