Help save West Thurrock Marshes

[GRH]

Help save West Thurrock Marshes - sign the Buglife petition!

Go to the Buglife website and sign the petition

West Thurrock Marshes – ‘England’s rainforest’ under threat

The north lagoon of West Thurrock Marshes is home to almost one thousand invertebrates, birds and reptiles. The site is nationally important for rare and endangered invertebrates – only one other site in the UK is known to hold more rare species – and it clearly meets criteria for protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is also used as a breeding site by a number of threatened birds, including the skylark, the lapwing and the Little-ringed Plover.

Now Royal Mail are about to develop this extraordinary site. The huge warehouse and lorry park will destroy more than half of the site, leading to a significant, potentially devastating loss of wildlife. Government advisory body Natural England state that ‘the effects [of the development] on the nationally significant invertebrate assemblage could be dramatic’. The destruction of over two thirds of the site’s flower-rich grassland, a critical resource upon which many of the invertebrates depend, will threaten the future of many rare species, including:
• Brown-banded carder bee Bombus humilis
• Five-banded digger wasp Cerceris quinquefasciata
• Saltmarsh shortspur beetle Anisodactylus poeciloides

All of these species are priorities for government conservation action under the UK
Biodiversity Action Plan.

Other species at threat include:
• The Distinguished jumper (Sitticus distinguendus): a charismatic spider found on only two sites in the UK – both threatened brownfield sites. The spider is on a draft Government biodiversity conservation list that when published will require its protection. Yet the species may be extinct before the list has even been produced.
• Red-shanked bumblebee (Bombus ruderarius): like the Brown-banded carder bee, this species depends on the large areas of flower-rich grassland, most of which will be destroyed by the development. Both bumblebees have declined massively and are now in a perilous position.
• Despite the Royal Mail Group’s Post OfficeTM advertisements featuring happy ants, the ants on this site will be less amused. The new development will stamp out a population of the rare Hump-backed red ant (Myrmica bessarabica).

Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation approved the controversial development on 6th November, despite widespread opposition from the local council and nature conservation bodies including Buglife and Essex Wildlife Trust. The Development Corporation – a non-elected body set up by John Prescott – decided that the nationally important wildlife interest of the site should not be allowed to stand in the way of its development.

The site was condemned partly due to its status as a previously-developed or ‘Brownfield’ site. It was once in the grounds of a former power station. Brownfield sites in the Thames estuary have recently been dubbed ‘England’s rainforests’ because of the large populations of endangered wildlife they support. Although government-funded research has shown that a third of brownfield sites in the region are of high importance to nature conservation, brownfield is indescriminately targeted for development by official regeneration policy.

Wildlife campaigners are stunned at the decision to develop West Thurrock Marshes:
‘We are extremely disappointed that this destructive development has been approved. West Thurrock Marshes should clearly be protected for its wildlife and as a resource for local people. Yet the authorities have decided to cash in that green future in favour of short-term economic gain,’ said Matt Shardlow, Director of Buglife.

Go to the Buglife website and sign the petition

[Toby]

ruling went against protesters:

Buglife | News | Bugs day in court ends in disappointment

Royal Mail claim they will only use a third of the site.

[Ukwildlifeo]

This isn't on. Just because its invertebrates no one cares. Its a shame

[tristanba]

So the Biodiversity Duty is just another empty piece of political gesturing. I really hope this case doesn't set a precedent for development in the Thames gateway, but I fail to see how it can do anything but. This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to lie down in front of diggers frankly, I would almost rather not know about it.

[aeshna5]

A sad day for wildlife + habitat protection. It has set a dangerous precedent for habitat protection. I know Buglife are considering an appeal to this judgement, but it doesn't look good for them!

[Wild-Woman]

This really makes me very angry indeed.
I'm sick of this steam-rollering attitude that developers are adopting. This is all to do with the root of all evil...money!
I'll back Buglife and any other organisation that fights this development.
I really am so mad.

[demicav]

This sort of thing really makes me angry. Just shows how important our wildlife is to the government. They care more about building houses for immigrants. Yes I know this is to do with royal mail but it highlights how bad things are getting when they start to develop areas such as this. These areas need to be protected but are being let down. There will be nothing left one day.

[thes3raph1m]

all talk tbh... you lot sometimes, i know you all care... but really how much? will you be there on the ground breaking to lie infront of the diggers? i doubt it for most of you....

some shout "but i have commitments" well thats great and all but talking does nothing, we all know this...

wanna make a difference? speak to them in words they understand... tie it up in legal red tape... make claims that you own the land... sue the contstruction company for mental anguish at the thought of the deaths...


point is we can moan and moan all day and it does sod all.... anyone live near west thurrock?

[GRH]

The fact that the planning decision was upheld is of course disappointing, but in making the ruling a precendent has been set which has huge implications for biodiversity conservation. The issue here isn't, and never has been, with the developer or Royal Mail. At the end of the day, developers are needed to build everything from visitor centres to hospitals, including warehouses, and they're just 'doing their job' (and they'll do it as cheaply as possible). The argument was that as a public body (albeit an unelected one) and planning authority Thurrock Development Corporation had a duty under the NERC act (and there were also issues relating to planning policy). From the Buglife press release:

"The judgment seemed to set a precedent that Development Corporations will not have to follow national planning guidance on protecting biodiversity if this conflicts with the Court’s very narrow interpretation of their regeneration role as requiring all land to be brought into productive commercial use, regardless of its wildlife importance. [this also has implications for public amenity, archaeology etc]

The judge dismissed the 2006 Biodiversity Duty that applies to all Public Bodies as being a ‘weak one'..."

The NERC at was 'woolly worded' from the start, and this case was more than just about protecting a nationally important site for wildilfe - it was about all such sites and the actual protection afforded to biodiversity under legislation and policy. It turns out that this is very little. This will only get worse if the planning white paper goes through - with 'committees' making decisions on major infrastructure.

It is this issue that needs addressing - otherwise there will be a lot more cases like West Thurrock, even if the site is eventually saved. Go to theyworkforyou.com and express your concern to your local MP, support Buglife, raise awareness on forums such as this, basically do anything you can think of to send the message to Government that enough is enough, and the voters (or future voters) aren't falling for it, and they're certainly not happy! (It can't hurt to complain to Royal mail either!)

It was the reasons given for upholding the planning decision that has set off alarm bells, rather than the fact it was upheld, and has added more fuel to the fire. It's not over yet (even if it doesn't go to appeal)!

Greg

[Toby]

appeal went against Buglife:

Buglife | News | Court approves destruction of marshes and its protected wildlife

you can donate towards their legal costs online.