Bid to revoke peninsula theme park planning status

Plans for the theme park have been in the works since 2012

Conservation groups are calling for the removal of a planning designation that could allow a theme park to be built on the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent - a site described as a "haven for wildlife".

Various wildlife organisations have written to Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, asking him to axe a direction for the London Resort theme park to be classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).

NSIPs - usually assigned to large scale projects such as airports and major roads - bypass normal local planning requirements.

In the letter, the coalition of wildlife charities said revoking the NSIP direction was essential "to secure the future of this nationally important wildlife site".

The government said the environmental impact would be considered once an application had been submitted.

The Swanscombe Peninsula - a former industrial estate - is now 'a mosaic of habitats', nature groups say

In 2021, Swanscombe Peninsula was given protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the national importance of its geology, plant life and wildlife.

It is home to over 2,000 invertebrate breeds, 82 species of birds including nightingales, as well as water voles and otters.

A planning application for the theme park was withdrawn last March but, in April, London Resort said they would submit a revised application "in due course".

Sally Smith from Kent Wildlife Trust said losing the site would be "devastating for the species that are here, but also for the local community".

"It is our lifeblood; it sustains us," she added. "We need this for our health and our wellbeing, so this development cannot go ahead."

The site is home to the critically endangered distinguished jumping spider

The coalition of nature organisations - which includes Kent Wildlife Trust and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) - said they have developed a "vision" to keep the peninsula as a publicly accessible green space.

However, the letter said the group cannot proceed with the NSIP direction "hanging over it".

London Resort and the department for levelling up, housing and communities have been approached for comment.

A spokesman for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “We were recently provided with an update on the status of the project which remains of national significance due to its size and importance for driving economic growth.

“The environmental impact of the project will be considered once an application is submitted.”

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