Representation by Adam Scott
- Date submitted
- 16 March 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am a resident of south-east London and my family and I use Swanscombe Marshes for recreation, fresh air, and to encounter wildlife. It is a really important area for us. It is accessible by train and on foot. It is within reach of hundreds of thousands of people and has enormous amenity value for health and wellbeing. The London Resort will obliterate these benefits. On a recent visit my young sons and I watched marsh harriers and herons hunting over the reedbeds, a kestrel hovering over the brownfield site, heard warblers and rare bearded tits. I do not believe that the ecological value of this site will be 'enhanced' by the London resort. For example, Black Duck Marsh will lose some of its area as well as the deciduous woodland and scrub surrounding it, it will be disturbed by 'enhancement' activities, and it will become an isolated area surrounded by human development - bright, noisy development in the case of London Resort. The loss of the brownfield site will have a huge impact on rare invertebrates as highlighted by the recent designation as an SSSI. The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated that green space and nature matter to so many people, and that we cannot continue to assault nature in the name of development and economic growth. Please consider the long term value of Swanscombe Marshes to the current and future residents of SE London and north Kent, and its irreplaceable value to the whole UK as a haven for rare wildlife. Thank you.