Save Swanscombe Marshes

Known as Swanscombe Marshes, this urban wilderness is home to thousands of invertebrate species, including over 200 species of conservation concern. This outstanding assemblage is of national importance, ranking with our best invertebrate brownfield sites. 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.

The Swanscombe Peninsula has a complicated history, with the coastal grazing marsh and grassland habitats subject to landfill and the dumping of cement waste. It also plays host to water treatment works, the HS1 railway and jetties – it even has the UK’s tallest electricity pylon!  But despite this, the mixture of natural coastal features and human interference has created a brownfield of the highest quality for wildlife, as well as a valued community space for walking, bird watching, angling and escaping the hustle and bustle of North Kent.

Thanks to its outstanding wildlife and following a concerted campaign by Buglife, CPRE Kent, Kent Wildlife Trust and RSPB, it was made a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) last year. SSSIs like the Swanscombe Peninsula are the backbone of the UK’s protected sites network; they include our best habitats and are essential to protecting wildlife and supporting healthy ecosystems. For local people in Swanscombe, Greenhithe and Northfleet, the Swanscombe Peninsula is also a much-loved green lung and open space.

But all of this is now threatened by the proposed London Resort theme park. Hyped as the ‘UK’s Disneyland’, much of the unique habitat of Swanscombe Marshes would be destroyed and concreted. At a time when the value of wildlife and open spaces is being appreciated more than ever and amid ongoing declines in some of our best loved wildlife, we can’t let such a precious site be lost.

Buglife Planning Lead, Jamie Robins says “Brownfields like Swanscombe Marshes are some of the most important places in the country for invertebrates. Our No Insectinction manifesto calls for ‘safe spaces’ for invertebrates – the site being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest is a crucial first step.  Now we have to make sure that this theme park is stopped. We need to be clear that a nationally important wildlife site such as Swanscombe should be out of bounds to developers.”

An application to approve the London Resort was withdrawn by the applicant in March 2022 at the eleventh hour- but the threat remains thanks to its Nationally Significant Infrastructure status. In response, Buglife and its campaign partners launched a Vision for Swanscombe Peninsula in November 2022. Efforts are ongoing to have the planning status removed and to realise the Vision that would see the Swanscombe Peninsula protected for wildlife and the local community.

A petition calling for Swanscombe Peninsula to be saved was signed by over 35,000 supporters and the campaign received national coverage. A crowd funding campaign to support the efforts of the campaign partners also raised over £50,000.

The London Resort Theme Park would be No Fun for Nature. Buglife wants to protect this wildlife haven from an unnecessary and ill-thought development, saving it for future generations to enjoy.

If you have any additional questions take a look at our “London Resort Fact Check“.  Still have questions?  Get in touch and we’ll do our best to answer them.