Ebbsfleet Central West development stalled to protect rare jumping spiders. Natural England intervenes, impacting housing plans.
The halt involves a small colony of spiders called “distinguished jumping spiders,” sparking worries about protecting them. It’s a section of the bigger garden city project, and Natural England stepped in to help. They made part of it a special site. This land is now a protected area deemed valuable for its wildlife, something Natural England wants to safeguard.
The Ebbsfleet authority confirmed the decision, noting that they are in charge of building homes faster. Their leader said 1,300 homes won’t be built because a legal order caused the change in plans. Natural England protects the rare spiders.
Developers got money in 2015 to start, with George Osborne investing £300 million then. Now, spider protection has priority. Over 4,000 homes are built so far, and the whole plan involves 15,000 homes total.
The project head, who took his job in 2017, said it mostly goes smoothly, though building is blocked in one area, Ebbsfleet Central West, near a station. Building there now breaks the law; you need permission from Natural England.
A theme park project also ended, possibly stopped due to the spiders. That was four years ago on the peninsula, and the resort company went into liquidation. The Ebbsfleet project started in 2014. The government planned it back then, choosing former industrial sites, hoping for 15,000 homes.
Last year, the 4,000th home was finished. The area stretches from the river to Bean. It is near a shopping center and old works. They plan 11,000 more homes. They hope to finish by the year 2035. Also, they are adding new sports areas in a spot called Ebbsfleet Green inside, which will have many fun new things.
This area has about 950 new homes. Redrow’s South East division built them. Work started in 2016 on these homes, and they should finish them this year.