Swanscombe marshes is threatened by a giant theme park, supported by local Councils mesmerised, as usual, by the prospects of money, jobs and ‘growth’ at any cost, and with about as much understanding of the importance of wildlife and wild places as they have any real interest in them. There will be the usual stuff about how this is ‘transforming’ some brownfield wasteland into a shiny new set of edifices and, we suspect, a thin veneer of grossly inadequate sops to ‘biodiversity’.
Please sign the petition against this. Swanscombe is one of the few scraps of inner Thames marshes left, and provides an important stepping-stone towards Rainham, Dartford/Crayford marshes and Erith Marshes (Crossness). It features heavily in reports of key bird sightings in west Kent/the London fringes.
Swanscombe marshes/peninsula – reclaimed by nature and now a fantastic home for wildlife. (Google earth image)
The petition is at:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-swanscombe-marshes-say-no-to-london-paramount
The supporting argument is as follows:
Please reject the planning application for the proposed London Paramount development of Swanscombe Peninsula and Save Swanscombe Marshes – for people and wildlife.
Why is this important?
Swanscombe Marshes in North Kent is a site we love; we enjoy the wildlife, the variety of habitats and the peace and quiet the site offers. In North Kent, as in many areas, such places are becoming scarcer whilst the population grows. At the same time, numerous reports highlight the benefits of access to open green space for people’s quality of life, development and mental health.
But all this is threatened by the proposals for ‘London Paramount’ – a garish, expensive and unnecessary theme park that would be built entirely on the site.
The peninsula is a remarkable haven for wildlife that thrives throughout the year in a mosaic of habitats. This includes rare or declining birds like Cuckoo, Lapwing, Marsh Harrier, Song Thrush and many more. On summer days bees, butterflies and crickets are abundant among the grasslands and wildflowers spread across the site. Surveys have found Swanscombe to be one of only 2 known sites in the UK to support the rare Distinguished Jumping Spider.
The open landscape and quiet character also make Swanscombe marshes a popular place for people. It is a valuable space for healthy leisure pursuits with joggers, walkers, cyclists and anglers all making use of the peaceful environment.
If London Paramount goes ahead this place will irrevocably change for the worse. Aside from the drastic, unmitigated loss of habitat/connectivity, space, species diversity and population numbers, there will be a loss of entire species altogether. The environmental issues resulting from an influx of visitors on the scale predicted (15 million annually!), including traffic/air pollution and noise pollution will have long term consequences for the wider area.
Please sign our petition and help Save Swanscombe Marshes!
Visit our website for more information:
Follow the campaign on twitter @SaveSwanscombe
Thank you for your support!
