Rare Jumping Spiders Delay Building Work on £2bn Paramount Theme Park in Kent

[Faline]

Plans to build a £2billion theme park to rival Disneyland Paris have been halted – so a colony of extremely rare spiders can be rehomed.

Bosses of the Paramount scheme hoped to have the resort – which will be twice the size of the Olympic Park, creating 27,000 jobs – up and running by 2019.

But environmentalists have found distinguished jumping spiders on the 872-acre brownfield site at Swanscombe Peninsula, Kent.

The spiders are on a UK priority species list and are only found in one other place in the country, West Thurrock Marshes in Essex.

Unlike many other species, they like the soil, which is particularly alkaline due to previous industrial use.



Developers London Resort Company Holdings vowed to find a temporary sanctuary for them.

Project director Tony Sefton said: “We’re doing a good thing. We will look after the spiders.”



Dartford borough council leader Jeremy Kite added: “We’ve moved fish, we’ve sent voles away on holiday: it’s fairly common and protects them from building works.

"Then when they’re finished, they’re brought back.”

The Paramount scheme, supported by Paramount Pictures, aims to build the third-largest theme park in the world and feature attractions including Europe’s largest indoor water park plus hotels and restaurants.

The distinguished jumping spiders – Latin name Sitticus distinguendus – have a very large front pair of eyes, giving them great eyesight.

That also plays a part in courtship, where males can undertake elaborate dances to woo a female.

[Kanda444]

it's cool that they are taking care of the spiders like that....

i bet people are going to be pissed about it though, understandably.

[DannyDrama]

people will be more worried about spending that much money on a massive theme park in fucking KENT of all places. See that gloomy looking picture? That's the height of summer in Kent. Plus no cunt is going to have the money to use the fucker because the government has it all.


This is, of course, assuming this project is even finished, which is un-fucking-likely.

[musiclvr567]

the little spider dude looks like he's wearing sun glasses....