Distinguished Jumping Spider

Spidergate: Leading conservation groups urge Prime Minister to rethink Ebbsfleet jumping spider claims

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Leading conservation groups and campaigners have written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to challenge misleading claims made in his recent editorial for The Telegraph regarding housing development in Ebbsfleet. 

In his piece, the Prime Minister wrote: “Take the project in Ebbsfleet to build more than 15,000 new homes... The plan was blocked by Natural England. Why? The discovery of a colony of ‘distinguished jumping spiders.’ The dream of home ownership for thousands of families, held back by arachnids. It’s nonsense. And we’ll stop it.”

This is a claim conservationists say is a misrepresentation of the facts.

The joint letter, signed by representatives from Kent Wildlife Trust, The Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife and Countryside Link, Buglife, CPRE Kent and Save Swanscombe Peninsula Campaign, clarifies that the vast majority of the planned homes are still moving forward, with thousands already built. 

The only area where development is not permitted is a section of the Swanscombe Peninsula, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), where 1,300 homes were proposed. The charities also point out that the distinguished jumping spider was not found in the area designated for these homes but in other parts of the SSSI.

The Swanscombe Peninsula is a nationally important wildlife site, home to over 1,700 invertebrate species, rare plants like the man orchid, and threatened bird species such as the nightingale, grasshopper warbler, cuckoo, and marsh harrier. The conservation groups stress that protecting this unique habitat is essential for biodiversity, public health, and climate resilience.

Swanscombe Peninsula

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Chief Executive for Kent Wildlife Trust, Evan Bowen-Jones said: “Framing nature and development as opposing forces is unhelpful and misleading.

“Sustainable development must integrate environmental protections to create thriving, liveable communities. Protecting Swanscombe Peninsula is not about blocking homes, it’s about building the right homes in the right places while safeguarding our natural heritage.”

The conservationists also highlight the broader environmental risks of overdevelopment in an already densely built-up area, including the loss of vital green spaces, which contribute to mental well-being and physical health, and the destruction of natural carbon sinks that help absorb CO₂ and improve air quality in a region that already suffers from poor air quality.

“Nature underpins economic prosperity,” added Buglife Conservation Director, Craig Macadam. “Rather than promoting unsustainable expansion, we urge the government to focus on making better decisions for housebuilding. We need developments that are in the right places, enhance biodiversity and support climate goals.”

In their letter, the signatories invite Prime Minister Starmer to visit the Swanscombe Peninsula to see firsthand how conservation efforts and responsible development can work in harmony. They call on the government to support a development strategy that respects and integrates the natural environment rather than one that undermines essential protections for the UK’s most valuable wildlife sites.

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