Hundreds of Kent residents have called for plans to build an entertainment resort on Swanscombe Marshes to be rejected, branding the proposed entertainment resort a 'tacky eyesore.'
More than 300 people have signed online petition, Save Swanscombe Marshes.
The campaign aims to stop the creation of £3.2bn London Paramount which will be built on at least 388 acres of land across the Swanscombe Peninsula if planning permission is passed later this year.
Proposals for the resort, put forward by London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH), include a water park, theme park, hotel rooms and a business centre.
Swanscombe Marshes
Peter Beckenham, who set up the campaign, said: "I started the campaign with the support of friends who recognised the special value of the site in its current form.
"The first time I ever visited the marshes I remember thinking ‘wow’ - they were on my doorstep and I’d never realised it.
"North Kent is a crowded, growing region which makes spaces of true refuge all the more important for people."
The 33-year-old who lives in Hartley Road, Longfield claims that plans for Paramount would see a 'heavily developed core' of the resort placed in the middle of the marshes, causing chaos for wildlife thriving on the site.
A map showing a the land proposed to house London Paramount
He added: "This core development is situated in the middle of the site and extends as far as the river Thames.
"The result of this is that those parts of the marshes retained will become highly fragmented which will have a negative impact on wildlife.
"These areas will have the added burden of coping with disturbance from noise, light and air pollution as well as the inevitable impact of visitors on the scale predicted."
Campaigners, who have attended all four rounds of public consultations held on the proposals, say they don't agree that an entertainment resort is the right thing for north Kent.
An image showing what London Paramount could look like
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They hope to meet LRHC bosses in the future to discuss their views.
Mr Beckenham said: "We are not opposed to development in the local area provided it is sustainable and well thought out.
"Based on our views of the plans our view remains that this is an unnecessary, tacky eye sore which will result in massive infrastructure disruption and have host of damaging repercussions across a wide area."
David Testa, CEO for London Paramount said: "The London Paramount project has received overwhelmingly positive support from the public during our four stages of consultation over the last 12 months, though of course we know that does not mean everyone supports the resort development, and understand we can't convince everybody that it's a good idea.
Paramount CEO, David Testa
"The three marshes on the Peninsula are of different quality - and as part of our plans for the resort, we are proposing landscape and habitat enhancements including managed access to parts of the marshes and improvements to habitats for bird, invertebrate and plant species through grassland management, wildlife habitat connections and ecological enhancements.
"We believe the benefits that London Paramount will bring outweigh the concerns about the marshes - especially given the habitat management improvements we're proposing."
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