Conservation experts have hit back at the Prime Minister following “misleading” claims endangered arachnids stopped a major housing development.

KentOnline previously reported how construction had ceased on a section of the Ebbsfleet Garden City project after fears were raised about the protection of a colony of “distinguished jumping spiders”.

It came after Natural England designated part of the 2,500-acre brownfield land as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

This means it is considered particularly valuable for its wildlife, geology or landform features and would be an offence to carry out a listed operation without the agency’s consent.

Due to the SSSI designation it’s predicted around 1,300 properties will be lost from the overall 15,000 home garden city project.

In an editorial for The Telegraph, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer cited the case as an example of unnecessary restrictions on development and suggested that the construction of tens of thousands of new homes had been stalled.

He said: “Take the project in Ebbsfleet to build more than 15,000 new homes...The plan was blocked by Natural England. Why? The discovery of a colony of ‘distinguished jumping spiders’.

“The dream of home ownership for thousands of families, held back by arachnids. It is nonsense. And we will stop it.”

However, Kent Wildlife Trust has refuted his claims and called it an oversimplification of the situation.

Planning and policy officer at the conservation charity, Emma Waller, said: “It is disappointing to see this complex issue misrepresented.

“The vast majority of the 15,000 homes are going ahead. However, 1,300 homes were proposed for development on the Swanscombe Peninsula, a designated SSSI.

“The distinguished jumping spider is not found in the area where those homes were proposed but in other protected parts of the SSSI.

“These other areas are home to rare and endangered species, including distinguished jumping spider, man orchid, water vole, marsh harrier, nightingale, over a thousand of invertebrate species, and even seals.

“All of the SSSI, including where the 1,300 were planned, are vital habitats that we simply cannot afford to lose.

“We must move beyond the narrative of ‘nature versus growth.’ Sustainable development, which respects and integrates the natural environment, benefits both people and wildlife.

“Our priority must be to ensure that future communities are built in a way that protects our most precious ecosystems, creating places that are not only liveable but also resilient and rich in biodiversity.”

Buglife programmes manager, Jamie Robins, added: “It is disappointing to see the Prime Minister again pit nature against growth. It is more important than ever to protect our wildlife.

“We can do this while also creating homes for people in the right places. Making false claims about critically endangered ‘jumping spiders stopping an entire new town’ is misleading and incorrect.

“It also undermines public confidence in the vital protections and binding commitments that we have for nature and the role of Natural England in helping it to thrive.”

The affected area, known as Ebbsfleet Central West, forms part of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation’s (EDC) - the planning arm tasked with delivering 15,000 new homes - latest scheme.

Outline planning permission was granted in July to regenerate the brownfield land surrounding Ebbsfleet International into a new city-style centre called Ebbsfleet Central.

Four years ago, it was reported the now-axed multi-billion-pound ‘Dartford Disneyland’ theme park could also have been stopped due to the jumping spiders’ presence on the Swanscombe Peninsula.

The project was officially scrapped in January after the company behind the London Resort project were ordered into liquidation by a High Court judge.

Plans for a “garden city” at Ebbsfleet were first approved in 2014 by the then Conservative government to deliver up to 15,000 homes.

The original masterplan for the new settlement in the Ebbsfleet Valley planned for 10,964 homes by April 2026.

In February last year, the project saw its 4,000th home completed on the plot - which stretches from the River Thames to near Bean off the A2 - on what is also a former cement works bordering Bluewater Shopping Centre.

The remaining 11,000 homes are due to be built throughout the coming years ahead of the project’s completion in 2035.