Decision in Buglife's West Thurrock planning appeal is reserved

JUDGES have reserved delivering their judgement after hearing two days of evidence in an appeal by wildlife campaigners Buglife against plans to build on West Thurrock Marshes.

Campaigners will now have to wait to see if they have halted the plans, which were approved by Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

The hearing is the culmination of a three-year campaign by Buglife to save the marshes, home to many rare bumblebees, beetles, spiders and other little animals. Buglife say two other sites in the UK are known to support a greater number of endangered invertebrates.

Back in February Buglife lost its first High Court challenge when Justice Mitting declared that biodiversity protection legislation in the UK was ‘weak’ and judged that the Thurrock Development Corporation – the unelected planning authority – was right to over-ride national planning guidance and allow the marshes to be destroyed.

"We believe that planning bodies should be taking much more care of our endangered species," says Buglife's Matt Shardlow. "These threatened insects have been highlighted as priorities for Government conservation – just like the red squirrel, the otter and the skylark.

"If we want to keep a diverse, healthy and colourful environment we can’t simply protect the bigger, more glamorous plants and animals."