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Swanscombe Peninsula & the London Resort theme park threat

Ian Tokelove — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 17:11:47 +0000

The Swanscombe Peninsula looks largely empty on maps, a blank canvas crossed by a few paths, blue threads of water, and pylons. Dotted lines indicate a tunnel which dives below the Swanscombe Marshes and the River Thames, a conduit for Eurostar trains shuttling between London and Europe.

However, if you look closer, this is a vibrant landscape. Above the speeding Eurostar carriages, all across the low-lying peninsula, wildlife thrives. Visit while you can, before a proposed theme park destroys this wild haven.

The path to the peninsula

In Swanscombe town, trains arrive at a platform cut deep into the local chalk, requiring a stepped, winding climb to the High Street. From there, a short walk takes you to London Road and a view across huge quarry pits, the distant peninsula and the River Thames.

Balancing between two quarries, the Pilgrims’ Road tightropes along a vertical spit of chalk, dropping down towards the river. This high footpath is narrow, fenced and littered, bordered by overgrown embankments which largely obscure the generous views.

The path arrives at Manor Way, once a remote, rural farm and now a desolate, fly-tipped road. Thankfully, the peninsula awaits. Cross the road, slip through the motorbike barriers, and enter the green.

The path immediately branches. The right path is easy to follow, a straight line across the marshes towards the towering National Grid pylon at the end of the peninsula. Water is all around, but not always seen. Waterfowl stir and splash, hidden within the reeds. On a quiet day, a gentle shoosh gives away the brief passing of Eurostar trains, speeding deep in their own channel.

Deep countryside

Walking along the path, a former sewage treatment works on the right is completely overgrown, with little trace visible through the reedbeds. Beyond this, on the left, a large lake can be glimpsed through the vegetation, backed by a low hill of wooded landfill. If it weren’t for the sky-piercing pylon, you could almost be in deep countryside, with verdant nature all around.

If you take the left path from Manor Way, you will find it less trodden and harder to follow. The path tracks across scrubby brownfield, past a perimeter fence enclosing hundreds of large, curving segments of concrete tunnel wall, perhaps destined for the Tideway Tunnel.

From the open brownfield the path dips into a shadowy and damp track, bounded close with rewilded landfill. This arrives at a wide, concrete roadway, free of traffic and popular with locals. Two young mums were pushing buggies, deep in conversation. The locals know and love this space, even if others don’t.

The footpath crosses this road and continues, getting wetter as it goes. This route is often flooded, but after weeks of summer heat I was able to reach its reed-choked dead-end. I jumped the low, twisting wires of an old fence into what is usually a large pond, then headed up to the main riverwall path.

Swanscombe Peninsula paths

Both paths join a footpath which bisects the Swanscombe Peninsula, a cross-country route between Greenhithe and Northfleet. Beyond this path, the peninsula remained as tidal saltmarsh until at least the 1950s, before being enclosed by seawalls.

The dusty tracks which now lead into this area are signposted with graffitied keep-out warnings. Regular security vehicles patrol, uniformed staff up front, barking Alsatians in the back, although I’ve not seen them recently.

Broadness Harbour

Hidden near the tip of the peninsula, a small, off-grid community of stilted shacks and boats lies huddled in a tidal creek. You could pass on the river and not even know they are there. The surrounding landscape is largely rewilded landfill, impenetrable but for a few rutted tracks.

Industry has edged along the eastern flank of the peninsula, with riverside aggregates and cement works. The works are largely hidden behind steep bunds of landfill. The footpath on this side of the peninsula skirts around the extensive reedbeds of Botany Marshes then heads towards Northfleet. After Botany Marshes the path joins Manor Way, opposite the Britannia Refined Metals works. From here, Northfleet station is less than 15 minutes away on foot.

Industrial ghosts

On the western shoreline of the Swanscombe Peninsula, a disused concrete jetty and wharf bear witness to the inland quarries and former cement works. Trams once shuttled between the two, the rusting tracks still visible in places.

An aerial tramway also conveyed raw materials from Thames ships to the inland works. Two cableless pylons still rise from the Swanscombe Marshes, rusting ghosts of this once busy landscape.

The London Resort threat

Visit and enjoy this wildlife-rich landscape while you can. The peninsula is threatened by the construction of a huge theme park, the London Resort. Described as the UK’s Disneyland and three times larger than any other resort park in the UK, the London Resort will destroy a huge tract of the peninsula if built.

The theme park has been designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project by the government, allowing the developers to bypass local planning requirements. It is also supported by the recent launch of the Thames Estuary Growth Board, which seeks “to make a transformative change within and across the Estuary” and aims to ensure that this “unparalleled growth opportunity is delivered”.

Politicians and councillors love big, sexy projects which promise new infrastructure and jobs. Sadly, the environment usually comes a poor second, dismissed as a barrier to profits and growth.

Brownfield sites have been broadly prioritised by government for development, regardless of their wildlife value. However, mature brownfield locations such as the Swanscombe Peninsula are vital havens for the UK’s beleaguered wildlife.

Where there is dumped landfill and spoil, the broken, stony ground provides a lifeline for some of our rarer wildlife species. The tough conditions prevent common species from taking over and allow more specialised animals and plants to flourish. Other habitats across the peninsula include saltmarsh, wetlands, grassland and scrub.

Endangered wildlife

The charity Buglife report that thousands of invertebrate species are found here, including more than 250 species of conservation concern. One little fella is the critically endangered distinguished jumping spider, now restricted to just two UK locations, here and across the river in the Thurrock Marshes.

Larger species live and breed here, including nightingales, skylarks and cuckoos. Water voles (one of the UK’s fastest disappearing mammals) live along the waterways and pools. Otters have been spotted too. Majestic marsh harriers have been seen, patrolling the reedbeds and waterways, hunting for frogs, small mammals and unwary birds. Common lizards can be spotted as well, an exotic little creature I always associate with hotter climes.

A theme park is a distraction. It is not a necessity, other than as a means of driving development – the unsustainable pursuit of endless growth. The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. We need places like the Swanscombe Peninsula. They may not be traditionally pretty, and they may not be making anyone rich, but they’re a vital breathing space for wildlife and people. The London Resort will destroy all of this.

The campaign to Save Swanscombe Marshes

Buglife are campaigning to save Swanscombe Peninsula. Click the button or follow this link to see how you can help: https://www.buglife.org.uk/campaigns/save-swanscombe-marshes/

Alternative visions

Coronavirus has highlighted the importance of public open spaces, preferably of high natural value. All across the UK, people have been enjoying and discovering new green spaces. Brownfield locations like the Swanscombe Peninsula can make stunning nature reserves, where public health and wellbeing are supported alongside the natural world which sustains us all.

A Swanscombe Peninsula Park has been proposed by the government’s own Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, which would save much of this precious site. See: https://ebbsfleetdc.org.uk/swanscombe-peninsula-park/

Visiting Swanscombe Peninsula

Swanscombe is the closest railway station to the peninsula, and the stations at Greenhithe, Northfleet and Ebbsfleet are all within easy reach, providing lots of opportunities for walks. The Thameslink service from London Bridge to Swanscombe takes just under 50 minutes. If visiting from London, note that these stations are outside of the Oyster Card fare zone.

Useful links

Buglife campaign to Save Swanscombe Marshes

The London Resort official website

Other walks around the Swanscombe Peninsula – https://www.remotelondon.com/?s=swanscombe

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Purfleet to Grays, exploring the Thames Path

Ian Tokelove — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 22:22:40 +0000

Walking the Thames path from Purfleet to Grays and exploring this wild & ragged edge of London. Nature flourishes along this riverside corridor, alongside colourful aerosol art, derelict jetties and heavy industry.

Purfleet

Purfleet feels like an end-of-the-line station. The nearby newsagent’s shop and the Tandoori restaurant are boarded shut, as is much of the short terrace that faces the station car park.

The Thames footpath has meandered inland here, skirting an old wharf site, and now dips back towards the river. A tilting signpost points the way past a burnt-out house, shielded by wire mesh fencing and a sign warning of security dogs.

When I visited someone was still holding on here, a few bicycles outside a front door bringing a warm touch of family life. The footpath skirts the battered terrace and heads left towards the river. The path squeezes through an overgrown fence line before opening onto a wide expanse of brownfield, thickly carpeted with small, yellow flowers. (Update: the terrace has now been demolished)

The footpath cuts diagonally across this patch, tracking the ghost of a railway line towards a disused pier. This shoreline saw rapid industrial expansion from the late 19th century onward, the busy wharves served by rail lines which cut across the drained marshes.

The Anglo American Oil Company at Purfleet

Heading downstream, the next pier serves a small, active oil depot. This dates back to 1888, when it was owned by the Anglo American Oil Company. This was the company’s first depot, storing paraffin shipped from New York for use in lamps throughout England. The Anglo American Oil Company eventually became Esso, then ExxonMobil. It all started here! (1)

Every 100 metres or so, steel ladders provide access over the wall and to the river beyond. It’s generally safe to walk on either side, although in places one side may be barred by security fencing or vegetation.

Wildlife and spray art

Nature is happily reclaiming much of this narrow, riverside corridor. On a warm August afternoon the wildflowers were still in bloom, with swathes of wild carrot punctuated by spikes of teasel and yellowing stalks of fennel. The first blackberries were ripening on the brambles and occasional blackthorn bushes bore heavy offerings of sloes.

In many places the high concrete river wall is a rolling canvas of spray paint art. The graffiti is colourful and cheerful; cartoon characters and complex tags. Where salt wind and sun have peeled the paint, it lies in drifts of multi-coloured flakes along the edges of the path.

The Dartford Bridge and Tunnels

The route passes under the Dartford Bridge, the heavy thump of traffic audible from below. The neighbouring piers and jetties are echoes of the mineral railways which once ran here, arteries joining the Thames to the inland Thurrock Chalk Works. The chalk industry is long gone and the rail lines have been replaced by cement and aggregate works.

A white, cone-like structure is a ventilation shaft for the eastern section of the Dartford Tunnel, which runs roughly 80 feet below.

Stone Ness and WWII pillboxes

Beyond a series of oil depots the river path skirts what is left of the West Thurrock Marshes. The river curves sharply around Stone Ness, where a metal framed lighthouse (established 1885) guides night-time river traffic. Two WWII pillboxes gaze out at the river here, one on either side of the Ness.

A low, graffitied square of concrete above a drainage sluice roughly marks the route of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, as it tunnels below the Thames.

The massive pylon which rises ahead carries power lines to a similar pylon on the south bank at Swanscombe. With a height of 190 metres these are believed to be the tallest electricity pylons in the UK.

The jetty here, with its distinctive bulk uploader, was built to serve West Thurrock Power Station. Built between 1957 and 1965 on unspoilt marshland, the station was decommissioned in 1993 and had been completely demolished by 1999. The jetty now serves a chemical works supporting the nearby Procter & Gamble works.

West Thurrock Marshes

Pulverised Fuel Ash from the station had been stored in lagoons on West Thurrock Marshes and this, surprisingly, led to their survival as a wildlife habitat. As the ponds dried up, the grey sandy ash was colonised by a wide range of species, including many of the rare and endangered species which live locally.

The conservation charity Buglife fought a long, hard and eventually successful battle to save the marshes, which are now protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and are home to more than 1,300 different species of invertebrates, bird and reptiles.

St Clement’s Church

Before passing the astonishing Procter & Gamble factory it is worth a short detour inland to check out St Clement’s Church. This pretty church dates back (in places) to the early thirteenth century, and makes an incongruous neighbour to the huge chemical factory which towers over it. If you watched the film Four Weddings and a Funeral you may remember this church from the funeral scenes. The church owes its survival to Procter & Gamble, the company funding the church’s renovation in the late 80s.

Grays and the Tilbury Grain Terminal

As the river path enters Grays, modern housing replaces the cement and engineering works which once lined the river. The Wharf pub dates back to at least 1780, when it was known as the Sailor’s Return.

The decaying wooden wreck next to Thurrock Yacht Club is The Gull, a lightship built in 1860. The ship’s mast and lantern were saved and still stand in the club, but the boat was lost to decay, vandalism and arson.

The river path finishes next to the Riverside Park, but it is possible, with care, to follow the river wall down towards the towering silos of Tilbury Grain Terminal. The path is very overgrown and the shore becomes very muddy, before a security fence bars progress.

Grays railway station is only a short walk away and will whisk you back to Purfleet in just five minutes, a quick finish to a long walk.

https://www.exxonmobil.co.uk/en-gb/company/about-us/uk-history/esso

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From Swanscombe Peninsula to the Dartford Marshes, a Thames Estuary walk

Ian Tokelove — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 17:13:09 +0000

Swanscombe is a small Kentish town, poised on a chalk ridgeline overlooking the River Thames. Home to the first ‘British Cement’ works back in 1825, quarrying has since gnawed away at the river-facing hillside. From the station it’s a short walk to the London Road, which now borders a vertical drop to the quarry below.

Directly across the London Road, next to the George and Dragon, a public footpath traces a narrow chalk spine down towards the Swanscombe Peninsula and the river. Glimpses through fencing and vegetation provide a view down to the industrial units which have repurposed the quarries on either side.

The Swanscombe Peninsula

As the path flattens out it crosses Manor Way and continues alongside a drainage canal. Not far to the right, unseen and unheard, Eurostar trains surface and dive beneath the marshes, tracing a route below the Thames.

An abandoned sewer works on the right has left little trace, while huge electricity pylons dominate the skyline.

After passing a large drainage pond on the left, the path reaches a T-junction. There is also an unmade road here, one of several tracking across the Swanscombe Peninsula. The tracks serve an isolated and ramshackle community of stilted shacks and boats at Broadness Harbour, but also the regular security patrols that guard this area. It’s not the muddy creek at Broadness they’re protecting, or the pylons, but the interests of a company called London Resort Company Holdings.

The Swanscombe Peninsula has a long history of industrial use, with aggregate, cement and gas works, as well as waste tipping. But, as industry declined, this remote, marshy landscape has been rapidly reclaimed by nature, and the drainage canals are now home to endangered water voles, while kites hover overhead.

‘Pre-used’ sites like this are known as brownfield, and while often dismissed as valueless, they are often home to some of our most endangered wildlife species.

However, London Resort Company Holdings want to build a huge theme park here, with 747,000 square metres of buildings, 14,000 parking spaces and 15m visitors every year. Currently they have the support of Paramount Pictures, the BBC and ITV. So their security firm patrols the Peninsular, accompanied by aggressive Alsatians, and will firmly redirect you if find you on the ‘wrong’ path.

Heading upriver

Heading west, towards the distant Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, Greenhithe can be seen, already biting into the Peninsula’s vulnerable flanks with new builds. Across the Thames, riverside chemical works are dwarfed by distance.

Once in Greenhithe, the path dips back and forth along the riverside, confusing the walker with dead-ends and U-turns. It’s better to keep to the surprisingly well-preserved High Street, and then skirt the Asda supermarket and Johnsons Wharf, to regain the river. A slightly more direct, narrow footpath nudges around the back of the supermarket before squeezing out into a petrol station.

Now back at the riverside it is possible to scramble down to the Thames foreshore, where shingle and sand slope down to the more familiar gloop of river mud. Edible samphire and sea beet grow here, but with Longreach Sewage Treatment Works discharging into the river upstream, it’s best to leave the plants unharvested.

The path passes under a concrete pontoon, currently used for car imports/exports, and heads towards the towering support columns of the QEII Bridge. Across the river, ranks of white oil storage tanks sit next to West Thurrock Marshes. The marshes were once used for ash-dumping from the nearby West Thurrock Power Station, now demolished. As at Swanscombe Peninsula, wildlife reclaimed the site and it is now protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, home to more than 1,300 different species of invertebrates, bird and reptiles.

Passing below the QEII Bridge the thump and bump of traffic can be heard some 60 metres (200 feet) above.

Littlebrook Power Station once dominated the riverside path beyond the bridge, but is currently being demolished. Only the 215 metre (705 feet) chimney remains intact for now. The oil and coal-fired station was unable to meet EU pollution legislation and shut down in 2015.

Demolition of Littlebrook Power Station

Littlebourne Power Station during demolition

The aforementioned Longreach Sewage Treatment Works comes next. New technology and recent investment means there is little or no odour here, and the discharge into the Thames is much cleaner than it used to be. However, the warm, nutrient-rich flow continues to attract gulls, which float downstream of the upwelling waters, searching for potential snacks.

Dartford Marshes

The river path now skirts the flat expanse of Dartford Marshes, which lie inland, beyond the river embankment. Unexpected gunfire indicates an unseen but nearby shooting club, hunkered down on the marshes, but otherwise this is a remote, little-visited path.

The wide, flat landscape ahead is broken only by a large concrete, box-like structure, which squats over the unseen River Darent. This is the Dartford Creek Barrier, which, along with the Barking Creek Barrier and the Thames Barrier, holds back Thames tidal surges and prevents flooding.

The River Darent

The path heads inland here, away from the Thames and following the sinuous weaves of the tidal Darent. As the tide drops the Darent slips lower, revealing muddy banks, a feeding ground for winter wildfowl. After about 1.5km the River Cray flows into the Darent from the opposite bank.

The path wiggles a few more times towards the A206, a fast and noisy dual carriageway. There are at least seven WW2 concrete structures around here, probably used for the storage of anti-aircraft ammunition. These are now roofless, crumbling and overgrown.

The route now leads to the dual carriageway and a metal kissing gate, but also drops unsurely towards the river and into the gloom below the road. This section is often flooded and too deep to wade, but it is possible to carefully walk or shuffle along the top of a low concrete wall to get past.

The path now traces past Dartford Fresh Marshes, although the opposing bank is now built up. A supermarket warehouse and modern housing stand where factories and wharves once faced the river. After a derelict and easily overlooked lock, industrial estates move in on both sides. The path crosses the river via a footbridge and joins Hythe Street. Dartford Railway Station is about seven minutes’ walk from here, with regular trains back to London.

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