24 Jan
Swanscombe Peninsula SSSI saved as theme park project scrapped

Swanscombe Peninsula SSSI saved as theme park project scrapped

The High Court has ordered the company behind the project, the London Resort Company Holdings Ltd (LRCH) to wind up after a judge deemed it had breached a payment agreement with its creditors.

The £3.5bn London Resort theme park was to be located on Swanscombe Peninsula, a rich and diverse landscape home to over 200 species of conservation concern, including the Critically Endangered Distinguished Jumping Spider (Attulus distinguendus). As a result, the area was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Natural England in 2021. Its freshwater pools support an abundance of dragonflies; the site has also produced sightings of migrant species, including the Red-veined Darter and Southern Migrant Hawker- making it a site of interest for dragonfly enthusiasts.

The Planning Inspectorate also ordered the Ltd to award legal costs to other companies who had completed work ahead of a planning application, including Buglife.