Swanscombe: Calls for protection for wildlife haven
Wildlife charities have written to the government calling a nationally important wildlife haven in north Kent to be protected from the construction of a theme park. The Swanscombe Peninsula has been the subject of a Development Consent Order since 2014 and was the proposed home to the London Resort theme park.Campaigners have called on Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who also has responsibility for housing, communities and local government, to secure its future by revoking the planning status. The government said it will "consider the issues raised in their letter and respond in due course'.
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 species of invertebrate and 82 species of breeding birds, making it one of the most important breeding bird sites in south-east England, according to the charity Buglife.A planning application for the theme park was withdrawn in 2022.In June the land was put up for sale and its co-owners, Anglo American International Holdings, say the "process is moving along well".
Jamie Robins, programmes manager at Buglife, said: 'We have known for years that the site is a haven for wildlife, but the threat of a theme park continues to hang over it, leaving the community uncertain over the future of their much-loved green space, year after year. "After a decade of uncertainty the time has come for the secretary of state to remove this unnecessary and damaging planning status, so that we can take the steps to save it."The last government said in 2023 the environmental impact would be considered once an application had been submitted.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
3 days ago
- Western Telegraph
Hayscastle Cross housing approved after five-year wait
In an application recommended for approval at the June meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council's planning committee, Mr and Mrs Down sought permission for a hybrid application for the erection of one dwelling, along with outline permission for two more on land east of Ty Gwyn (Y Bwthyn), Hayscastle Cross, near Haverfordwest. The scheme had been brought to committee as it was recommended for approval despite being contrary to the authority's development plan, a sticking point being a small part being outside the settlement boundary. The scheme includes a commuted sum contribution to affordable housing, in the case of Hayscastle Cross set at 10 per cent, of the development value, amounting to £15,262.50. Affordable housing contributions in the county vary from as low as five per cent in Fishguard and Pembroke Dock to as high as 25 per cent in towns like Narberth. Five letters of objection raised concerns including drainage, traffic generation, housing need, flooding and it being a linear development. An officer report concluded: 'The proposal would result in residential development over a small area of the countryside location in conflict with the requirements [of policies]. However, the minimal area of land involved and the ability it provides to facilitate development of the site are material considerations which outweigh the identified policy conflicts.' Speaking at the meeting, agent Andrew Vaughan-Harries of Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd said he was 'shocked at the time' that had passed since the application was first lodged some five years ago. He said the scheme had faced 'a lot of hurdles' since it was submitted, including the Covid-19 pandemic, delays over addressing phosphate concerns and there being a nearby SSSI. He said the scheme, with its £15,000 affordable housing contribution, would 'enhance this little bit of Haycastle Cross'. The application was moved by Cllr Brian Hall, with new committee chair Cllr Mark Carter, whose own ward is nearby, saying: 'This to me, is just a natural progression of the village which has expanded over the years; it's just joining the rest of the row.' The application was unanimously approved by committee members.
The Guardian
31-05-2025
- The Guardian
Treat social housing as critical infrastructure to unlock billions, says Peabody boss
The head of one of the UK's biggest non-profit housing providers has called for social housing to be classed as 'critical national infrastructure', like roads and energy networks, allowing for billions of pounds in much needed extra investment. In an interview with the Guardian, the chair of housing association Peabody, Ian McDermott, said it should be reclassified by the Treasury to allow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to commit extra funds without breaking her fiscal rules. His intervention comes as 11 of the country's major providers wrote in a letter to housing minister Matthew Pennycook ahead of next month's spending review that the government had inherited 'the worst housing situation in living memory'. The housing secretary, Angela Rayner, is said to be fighting for a larger settlement in the spending review, planned for 11 June, amid dissatisfaction over funding for affordable and social housing. McDermott warned that 90% of current spending on social housing was on subsidies and temporary accommodation, rather than bricks and mortar, the reverse of what had been the case in the 1970s. 'For too long, social housing has been seen as a subsidy and a cost rather than an asset and critical national infrastructure for the country,' he said. There are 14 areas of national life currently listed as critical infrastructure, including defence, data, energy, food, health and transport – but not housing. If housing was included, it would make it easier for spending on it to be excluded from normal fiscal rules, as it would be categorised as investment in infrastructure and would not count against government debt. The letter from London-based associations including L&Q, Peabody, Clarion Housing and Notting Hill Genesis said: 'It is important to be honest about the scale of the problems and the solutions needed. You have inherited the worst housing situation in living memory. There is a housing emergency, with London at the epicentre, and new supply in the capital has already fallen off a cliff.' It said that there were more households in London on a social housing waiting list than double the entire population of Cambridge. The temporary housing crisis and its effects on people's lives was 'almost impossible to articulate', the letter said, warning it was costing councils in London alone almost £4m a day. But it said changes to government rent policy since 2016 had taken almost £6.6bn out of the sector, which could have been invested in new and improved homes. 'By the end of the parliament affordable housing completions will have fallen to the lowest levels since the second world war without urgent and specific interventions for London,' it said. Shelter and National Housing Federation have suggested about 90,000 social homes a year would be needed to hit the government's manifesto target of 1.5m new homes, at a cost of about £11.8bn each year. But the investment is estimated to support almost 140,000 jobs and generate significantly higher economic output, breaking even within three years. McDermott, who takes over chairing the G15 group of London's leading housing associations from June, said the 1.5m homes target was 'very stretching' but the sector could play its part in achieving it. 'We own land that could potentially build 20,000 homes. Can we build it? Yes, we can. It is definitely possible. There is an issue about workforce and about skills. But can we bring about that generational change? Yeah, we can,' he said. 'But we need the government to be sympathetic and supportive of our asks.' McDermott said the economic case for investment in housing was 'unarguable'. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'The social case is unarguable. It's national infrastructure because if you look at what makes contented, thriving communities, at the core of those things is decent housing. And unless you recognise it as an essential element to a productive Britain and a thriving Britain and a contented Britain, then actually you're going to miss the point.' The housing ombudsman recently warned of a 'simmering anger at poor housing conditions' which he said could boil over into social tension, with a 474% increase in complaints about substandard living conditions since 2019/20. Richard Blakeway said it was 'neither fanciful nor alarmist' to suggest the growing anger at housing conditions could become 'social disquiet', saying the 'shock of Grenfell Tower and Awaab Ishak's death resonate still'. He said there had been a 'really serious fracturing of trust, which in some cases is irreparable,' with housing providers. McDermott said that he understood the anger and that the sector had to do better, but said it was wrong to say providers did not care. 'England has some of the oldest housing in Europe and the ombudsman is right to say that our not-for-profit sector is under intense pressure. Looking after residents' homes well is our top priority and needs to be funded through rental income,' he said. 'This is heavily regulated and was subject to government-imposed cuts for five out of seven years, which eroded our capacity to invest. As a sector, we're catching up but with inflation and the cost of living crisis it has been a perfect storm.' Ministers are facing increased pressure to unlock more funds for housing in the runup to next month's spending review. In a speech at an event in London on Saturday, Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, was to call for a timetable by which time more new social homes were being built than sold off, calling housing 'the single biggest cause of Britain's modern malaise'. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: 'We've taken immediate action fix the housing crisis we've inherited and kickstart the biggest expansion to social and affordable housing in a generation. This included, they said, £800m for affordable homes, and changes to right to buy, with a proposal for a long-term rent deal for social home providers to provide certainty on income.
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Government is paying over £1billion a month to households with at least one foreign national in them
The government is now paying over £1 billion a month on benefits claims to households with at least one foreign national, new figures show. Households with at least one claimant who is a foreigner received £941 million in March his year, up from £461 million year-on-year, The Telegraph reports. This increase represents almost a sixth of the month's Universal Credit payments and cancels out the £1.4 billion the Government saved by cutting winter fuel payments. Experts have suggested that the increase reflects a surge in the number of asylum seekers being granted refugee status in Britain. Foreigners are eligible for UC and other benefits on the same terms as British citizens after being granted indefinite leave to remain or refugee status. The latest figures come as Angela Rayner last week called for migrant benefits to be slashed and urged Rachel Reeves to make changes, after the Deputy PM challenged the Chancellor's economic approach. Bold proposals, outlined in a leaked memo revealed by The Telegraph, also suggested making it harder for immigrants to receive Universal credit. Ms Rayner even said Labour should raise the fee migrants pay to use the NHS, in policies she and her team claimed were 'contentious' but still 'worthy of consideration'. Under current policies, introduced under the Tories in 2015, foreigners on work visas pay to access healthcare - a fee currently set at £1,035. The 'radical' policies further included limiting access to the state pension. The latest revelations come after Ms Reeves was hit with a triple blow to her authority. The Deputy PM suggested launching the plans in the Spring Statement - and hoping to get them over the line by the Autumn Budget. 'Migrants who have spent five to 10 years in the UK generally receive access to a broad range of welfare entitlements,' a section read, as reported by the broadsheet. 'Indefinite leave to remain in the UK confers access to core welfare entitlements such as Universal Credit, and 10 years of National Insurance contributions confers eligibility for some state pension provision. 'Those who arrived in the UK during the period of very high immigration in the past few years will become eligible for indefinite leave to remain over the course of this Parliament.'
