MINISTERS are under pressure to stop a new theme park being built on the banks of the Thames, with campaigners warning that it will destroy “irreplaceable” habitats. 

Developers want to build the London Resort, set to feature rollercoasters and a dinosaur-themed “prehistoric nature reserve,” on 465 hectares of the Swanscombe peninsula near Dartford, Kent.

But campaigners argue that the current plans, which require government approval, would harm wildlife, including a critically endangered jumping spider that is only found in one other place in Britain. 

In the past, the peninsula was an industrial site, but it has since returned to nature, creating what campaigners say is a unique haven for wildlife. 

“What’s been left is a really rich mosaic of habitats. We’ve got areas of bare earth and flowering plants that are really important for invertebrates. We’ve got the wetland areas that are vital for birds and for species like water vole and otter,” Nicky Britton-Williams of Kent Wildlife Trust said today.

She added: “We are calling on the government to ensure that they fulfil their commitments to tackling the nature and climate crisis and protect this precious wildlife site.”

Developers say that large areas of the site are contaminated and have pledged to invest £150 million in enhancing the environment.