Keep our Park Sunny - save rare wildlife and endangered bees!

Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park may be small, but it is home to an incredible variety of wildlife including rare and endangered species. 
 
Developers (Taylor Wimpey and Countryside) plan to build three imposing tower blocks that will dominate the Park, enveloping the area in shadow. They will irreparably shatter the delicate eco system and destroy precious habitats created for these irreplaceable species.
 
The Park is an essential haven for the local community. It provides invaluable educational experiences for the general public and students of all abilities and ages, who enjoy this unique natural oasis in a high density urban area. There is nothing else like it.
 
Please help us to show Greenwich Council that they need to stop this development happening before it is too late.
 
More information
Our green spaces matter. Not just locally, but nationally and even globally. 
 
Climate change is becoming more of a pressing concern for all of us. The reckless erosion of many natural environments exacerbates the problems we are facing even further. 
 
Places such as the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park are vital for all our health and well-being and crucial for wildlife to thrive. We must protect them from irresponsible decision-making. 
 
The Park
This award-winning Ecology Park is heralded - and studied all over the world - as a superb example of how a small oasis of urban ecology can benefit large, high density developments.  
 
The Park has been an enormous success. Its clever design provides a range of habitats (lake, reed bed, marsh, willow woodland and shingle shoreline). Any damage caused to any part of the Park is significant and will cause major harm to the ecosystem and the wildlife that depend upon it.
 
Bees & biodiversity
A 2016 survey of bees found over 90 confirmed species at the Park. This is approximately double the number recorded at Kew Gardens, including two species new to the UK.
 
Regular bird surveys record in excess of 60 species visiting the Park annually. 
 
This includes important Winter and Summer migrants and Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species. Amongst other species, we at risk of losing our Common Terns which currently nest on rafts on the lake but will only do so in full sunlight.
 
All this is under threat from the proposed large scale development.
 
Funding
The Park was created in 2000 using £10m of public money as part of a major regeneration project – The Thames Gateway Development. This worthwhile investment has resulted in an amazing site for wildlife and people alike. 
 
At a time when the ‘public purse’ is stretched to the limit, it is outrageous that such a significant investment of taxpayer’s money is to be compromised for the sake of the developers’ profit. We are desperate to stop the benefits of the Park from being eroded for such a futile outcome.
  
Social housing
We recognise the need for more homes – specifically social housing. The Peninsula in Greenwich is quickly becoming a densely built up area of which little is affordable in the truest sense. 
 
These tower blocks are simply the wrong design in the wrong place. They should, and easily could, be moved away from the Ecology Park in order to avoid causing devastating levels of damage.
 
Education
The Park is a fantastic learning environment for thousands of students of all abilities and ages.  Local schools and nurseries bring children to see animals, birds and insects in their natural settings and to learn first-hand from the Park’s dedicated rangers about wildlife and ecology.  
 
After many years of fundraising, a new classroom is just being built to further support the Park’s educational offering. Sadly the classroom will be situated in the shade of the tower blocks if we don’t stop them from being built.
 
Community
There are many studies highlighting the social, mental and physical health benefits to humans of ‘wild’ green spaces in urban environments, leading to increased productivity, better communities as well as economic benefits.
 
The Park is maintained by a small family of volunteers who spend many hours working in all weathers to support the wildlife and shape the environment for the public to enjoy. 
 
It is heart-breaking to think that all their hard work will disappear, along with the precious wildlife and plant species.
 
The Park carries out important community outreach work, offering a volunteering programme to young people experiencing mental health issues and other problems. A dark and dismal park with sparse wildlife and fauna would not create a positive environment for these vulnerable individuals.
 
What you can do
Please help the Friends of Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park by signing this petition.
 
Keep Our Park Sunny!