Representation by David Horsfield
- Date submitted
- 31 March 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
• I worked in nature conservation for 30 years for the Nature Conservancy Council and later for Scottish Natural Heritage in both England and Scotland. My work involved me in assessing the importance of SSSI and SAC for habitats, flora and invertebrates. • The Swanscombe Peninsula SSSI has been recognised as of national importance for its habitats, flora and wildlife. The London Resort theme park NSPI should not be built on a site of such importance for nature conservation. This is a test of the government’s commitment to nature conservation and the environment generally. We should be valuing our wildlife rather than destroying it in the name of a man-made “theme park”. • Because the site has been recently designated as an SSSI there is need for the NSPI application to be resubmitted. This is no longer just a “brownfield” site ready to be reclaimed as stated in the NDIP submission. The value of these kinds of “brownfield” sites for the conservation of open ground plant and animal species has been recognised among conservationists for decades. • A perusal of the importance of the SSSI for invertebrates (see Annex 4 Swanscombe Peninsula SSSI Supporting Information) with 250 species of conservation concern can only be described as staggering. Most of the species listed are of a predominantly southern distribution in Great Britain. • The particular importance of Swanscombe Peninsula SSSI for invertebrates, and other animal and plants, lies in the diverse mix of habitats including chalk pits, saltmarsh, brackish grazing marsh, wetland, open water, free draining grassland and scrub. This juxtaposition is important because insect larval stages often have different habitat requirements to the adult stages. The site has to be rated one of the top sites for invertebrates in G.B. • The site is important for its breeding bird assemblage and locally important reptiles and mammals. • There is also a number of nationally scarce vascular plant species. • During the Covid lockdown it has become apparent that people in general are coming to appreciate the outdoors and the natural world more and more. It just doesn’t make sense to build a massive development of this kind on a top site for nature conservation.