Lodge Hill, Chattenden Woods, Kent

Nightingales are not only found throughout the development site but also on an adjacent area, which have been notified by Natural England as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) - a type of protected area with special or exceptional wildlife features. 

The Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill SSSI is protected for its woodland, its nightingales and for unimproved grassland.

Provisional results from the British Trust for Ornithology's 2012 National Nightingale Survey indicate the Lodge Hill area is likely to be one of the most important places for nightingales in Kent and the UK. We believe it should be safeguarded for the nation. We believe that Medway Council's development plan will destroy this valuable nightingale habitat.

The consultation on the Lodge Hill Sustainability Appraisal (which assesses the environmental impact of the planned development) has now closed. We'll keep you updated on the next steps.

However, if you live in the Medway Local Authority area, you can to write to your Councillor to let them know that you object to the development.

You can find and contact your local Councillor through Write To Them.

Some points you might like to include in your letter:

• The 2012 BTO National Nightingale Survey's provisional results suggest that Lodge Hill is one of the most important sites for nightingales in the entire country. Natural England  have notified the site as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its nightingales.
• If the development proceeds on the Lodge Hill site, this valuable habitat would be destroyed.
• Compensating for habitat destruction by recreating the habitat elsewhere would take at least 15 years and any new site would be unlikely to get the same level of protection as an SSSI. There is no guarantee that nightingales would colonise and breed successfully at a new site.
• If development goes ahead, it would go against the national guidelines that govern all development, and would be one of the largest losses of an SSSI to development ever. This would set a damaging precedent.
• SSSIs should be given protection by Local Authorities and should not be considered as locations for development.

Tips for your letter

• Be polite and succinct – your letter is far more likely to be read if it's under one page of A4
• Have a clear 'ask', in this case that the Lodge Hill development does not go ahead and that SSSIs are protected
• Make it clear that you live in the area – a Councillor will take your letter more seriously if they know you can influence whether they stay elected or not!

Please help us to track the progress of our campaign by sending copies of your comments or letter, and any replies to campaigns@rspb.org.uk. Alternatively, you can post it to: Stephanie Landymore, Lodge Hill Campaign, FREEPOST ANG6335, The RSPB, UK Headquarters, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2BR. 

Thank you for your help - you really do help make all the difference.

We are firmly of the view that Lodge Hill is not the right place to build up to 5,000 houses.

Preliminary results from the British Trust for Ornithology's 2012 National Nightingale Survey indicate the Lodge Hill area supports 84 singing male nightingales, with the majority on the proposed development site (this is around 1.3 per cent of the UK population). Visit our nightingale page to hear this wonderful songbird in full voice and imagine what 84 would sound like!

This number of nightingales means it is likely to be one of the most important places for nightingales in Kent and possibly the country. It should be safeguarded for the nation. As well as direct loss of habitat, the proposed development would mean increased recreational disturbance and cat predation within any remaining habitat, jeopardising any birds that remain. Nightingales nest low down in scrub and on the ground – making them exceptionally vulnerable to predation and disturbance.

We have objected to an outline planning application for the development, and called for the Lodge Hill Strategic Allocation of up to 5,000 houses to be removed from the Medway Core Strategy.

There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the how successful compensatory habitat can be for nightingales and in this case we think there are far too many caveats.  In essence, we believe that the risks to the nightingale population - if the development were to proceed - are simply too high.

We recognise the need for Medway to identify land for - and build - new houses in the District, but we firmly believe that more environmentally sustainable locations should be found.

We believe that the national importance of the nightingale population on the Hoo Peninsula presents a fantastic opportunity to promote the understanding, conservation and enjoyment of an iconic bird, and the very special qualities of the area. We look forward to working with Medway Council and other partners to achieve this.