The Swanscombe Peninsula in North Kent is home to a remarkable mosaic of grasslands, coastal habitats, brownfield features, scrub and intricate wetlands.
Known as Swanscombe Marshes, the area is home to thousands of invertebrate species, including over 200 species of conservation concern. This outstanding assemblage is of national importance, ranking with the best sites for wildlife in the UK. It is one of just two sites in the UK where the Critically Endangered Distinguished jumping spider can be found and home to a host of rare bees, beetles, moths, birds, mammals, plants and flowers.
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. This mixture of natural coastal features and human activity has created a habitat of the highest quality for wildlife, as well as a valued community space for walking, bird and nature watching, boating and escaping the hustle and bustle of this built up borough.
It has been well known for some time as an important place for invertebrates (especially bees, flies, wasps, beetles and spiders) and is actually home to more than 1,700 such species, including over a quarter of the UK’s water beetle species and more than 200 species that are considered of conservation importance. It is one of just two places in the UK where the critically-endangered distinguished jumping spider is found. That name alone warrants attention and protection!
But it’s not only invertebrates which call this area home. Those rich and varied habitats on the peninsula also provide great conditions for breeding birds such as marsh harrier and bearded tit, and for nationally scarce plants threatened with extinction in Great Britain, such as the divided sedge and the slender hare’s-ear.
It’s a real haven for wildlife on the doorstep of major towns and associated populations. Visitors are able to access the northern boundary of the site via the England Coast Path, whilst existing rights of way will serve to provide some limited access to part of the rest of the site.
The site also includes four chalk pits and cement was manufactured here for nearly 150 years. Nature has certainly found a way to successfully occupy this brownfield site. Brownfield sites are an incredibly important refuge for many species, and they are becoming an increasingly scarce habitat in England as they continue to be lost, especially in the south east, through development pressure.