In regard to Natural England’s decision to notify Lodge Hill as an SSSI area, please see a statement from Medway Council below:
A Medway Council spokesman said: “Natural England did not raise any objections until July 2011 despite working with others since the mid 1990s on plans for the development of Lodge Hill.
“However, we now seem to have the absurd situation of a government agency (Natural England) stopping a government department (the Ministry of Defence) from proceeding with their plans to relinquish their former training grounds, an area where there is believed to be unexploded ordnance. We are deeply unhappy with this decision and will be considering our options.
“We find it astonishing this decision has been taken. This is a government site and is former vacant military land. In addition, it is an area earmarked for development for 18 years, and this would help provide 5,000 local jobs and 5,000 homes, which is important for a growing area like Medway.
“We have worked with Natural England and its predecessors since 1995, as well as other experts, to mitigate the effects such a development would have on around 70 nightingales that live on the site for 12 weeks a year and believed that Lodge Hill would not be declared an SSSI. Nightingales aren’t a protected species, and there are numerous similar habitats within the immediate area, as well as elsewhere in Kent and the south east where they spend three months a year.”
Peninsula Times 
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19/04/2013 at 02:05
Anonymous
Medway council need to get there facts right ,the nightingales have been there for over ten years not just when the army moved out there are also many other protected spices here like crested newts and many other birds and also there are many rare plants . it is just double standards they object to a airport due to the wildlife but want to put 5,000 houses on ground that is teaming with wildlife they claim the houses will bring jobs i would like to know where they will come from medway is a job black spot
19/04/2013 at 09:25
Anonymous
Agreed, it does smack of double standards. While the local council do some excellent work in the area this is one where they fall down alarmingly. There are still many brown field sites that could be used first. The great scar they put next to the bridge for one, that beautiful old building could have been refurbished to provide flats and cheaper homes and would have done much to bring a bit more life into Strood. Allowing communities to become detached from our town and city centres does nothing for our local economy. The area from B&Q to along to the Morrisons site could have been used for a stunning riverside development and the stores could have gone further along to the site near the M2 bridge. Then again we are all guilty of being shortsighted when we are stood in front of the problem. As for the jobs the airport and Chattenden site would create, well the later would be for the most part temporary until the construction was complete and the airport would provide in the main, low paid retail,cleaning and manual jobs and I don’t have those aspirations for any of our children in Medway