Representation by Dr Deborah Sazer
- Date submitted
- 23 March 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
We have allowed the destruction of important wildlife sites for so long, that it is vital to protect any remaining habitat. Wildlife conservation has always been far down the agenda, and financial gain has always been top. But the British public are becoming more and more concerned about the huge ongoing loss of species and habitats. Swanscombe Peninsula has now been designated as an SSSI, which means it is one of the most important sites in the UK. This is in part because of its huge range of invertebrates of conservation concern - again, invertebrates are rarely prioritised and yet they play a key role in all of our ecosystems. Likewise the 27 highly endangered bird species and 13 nationally scarce plants. There is no way that this planning application for a theme park should be considered of anything like as great value as the current rich array of habitats and species. It is unlikely that the destruction of, say, an historically important building would be allowed in order to replaced by a theme park. The habitats and species of Swanscombe Marshes play a vital part in maintaining our ecosystem services in the face of a climate emergency. Now is the worst time to over-ride SSSI protection and destroy a site which is enormously valuable for wildlife and for the people that live in the area.