Donna Zimmer is a campaigner and RSPB volunteer based in Kent. Here she describes the Swanscombe Peninsula, and the work of the “Save Swanscombe Peninsula” Group
Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent is one of my favourite green spaces. It’s an urban wilderness with an outstanding variety of habitats that attracts some very special species. This includes a wide diversity of invertebrate species, including over 250 species of conservation concern and is of national importance, ranking with our best invertebrate brownfield sites. And it is one of just two places in the UK for the critically endangered distinguished jumping spider (Attulus distinguendus), among the host of rare bees, beetles, moths, and other invertebrates recorded there.
Alongside the invertebrates, the site also attracts a wonderful variety of birds to this most urban location: everything from marsh harriers, grasshopper warblers, cuckoos and shovelers in the wetlands and reedbeds, nightingales in the scrub, a heronry in the woodlands, and black redstarts among the old buildings.
In autumn, whilst I was out getting my daily allowed exercise, I decided to showcase this area, so I put together this short film (link below). Relax and enjoy a virtual walk around Swanscombe, learn about the rare wildlife it attracts:
Sadly, the peninsula is currently under threat from proposals to build the “London Resort” theme park. Hyped as the ‘UK’s Disneyland’, much of the unique habitat of Swanscombe Marshes would be destroyed and concreted if it is given the green light.
Buglife has been working very hard with RSPB and Kent Wildlife Trust on a campaign to protect the site from this development. Recently they submitted a 23-page rationale to Natural England asking them to designate the Swanscombe Peninsula as a Site of Scientific Special Interest. If Swanscombe receives this status, building on a site of recognised national importance would be devastating.
You can read more about the campaign and sign the petition here:
https://www.buglife.org.uk/campaigns/save-swanscombe-marshes/
Locally, I’m part of ‘Save Swanscombe Peninsula’, an active local community group that is against the development. We have other concerns about the planning proposals regarding air quality, traffic, the effect on local businesses as well as the potential loss of green space with the rare wildlife it attracts.
‘Save Swanscombe Peninsula’ are also surprised that the BBC (which has an outstanding Greener Broadcasting Strategy) has a commercial interest in the planning proposal and have written a petition to ask the BBC to withdraw its commercial interest from the London Resort.
You can sign our petition and read our letter here:
https://www.change.org/p/the-bbc-bbc-studios-withdraw-your-interest-from-the-london-resort
After writing to the BBC the campaign group received a reply from the BBC Studios’ Managing Director confirming that the BBC signed an agreement with the London Resort in 2014 and that they will follow the planning process with interest but no mention of the BBC detaching itself from this wildlife damaging proposal.
We are not giving up, at a time when nature needs everyone to stand up and speak up, we expect the BBC to take action to protect the incredible wildlife that is at risk from being destroyed at Swanscombe Peninsula.
Image: Common lizard at Swanscombe, Donna Zimmer