Plans to build a theme park on a protected wildlife habitat are in the balance after the developer’s request to delay its planning application was rejected.

The £2bn London Resort development would transform Swanscombe Peninsula, which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its grassland, scrub, wetlands, grazing marsh and saltmarsh habitat which is home to an array of wildlife.

SSSI status does not exempt the area from development but is given “due weight” in the planning process, which is ultimately decided by government.

The planning inspectorate has said there is “considerable doubt” as to whether London Resort’s plans will be ready for examination next month, after the company requested to delay until July.

News Shopper: The site has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (Buglife)The site has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (Buglife)

According to the BBC, the Planning Inspectorate said: "There must now be very considerable doubt as to whether important and relevant matters bearing substantially on traffic, transport, shipping, ports, water utilities and the natural environment (amongst other matters) can feasibly be addressed in a timescale to an examination commencing in July 2022."

It added that there was "an increasingly low likelihood of it proceeding even then", suggesting that London Resort could decide to withdraw the application.

A spokesman for London Resort said: "We are looking forward to the preliminary meeting in March and to bringing the first, next-generation theme park, to the UK."

Speaking in October, London Resort CEO PY Gerbeau claimed the plans for the the 250-hectare (620-acre) site, which lies between the M25 and Gravesend, were on track despite "all the naysayers and doom-mongers."

But wildlife groups say the nationally important wildlife area, which receives protection with the SSSI designation, should not be developed.

Buglife, the RSPB and Kent Wildlife Trust are urging Natural England to do everything in its power to ensure the area is protected.

Natural England said the designation of the site for its nationally important wildlife features is an important step towards ensuring its environmental value is recognised and taken account of in any future planning decisions.

Mr Gerbeau said the company had been surveying and monitoring the site since 2012 and was working closely with Natural England to identify the right ecological solutions to deliver the project.

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