Campaigners warn plans to build an underwater cable linking Kent and Suffolk would be a “death warrant” for protected wildlife.

The Sea Link project aims to increase the flow of renewable energy but involves laying cables more than 2km long to the site of new converter and substations to be built on Minster Marshes.

The area is home to protected species such as beavers, barn owls and slow worms, and some worry the project could impact the nearby Pegwell Bay Nature Reserve,

National Grid, the electricity and gas company behind the bid, has submitted a development consent order - a legal instrument used to streamline the approval process for nationally significant infrastructure projects.

But environmentalists say they support the transition to renewable energy, but not at the expense of wildlife.

Emma Waller of Kent Wildlife Trust said: “This is an environmentally damaging scheme that will devastate wildlife at Minster Marshes and seriously impact Pegwell Bay, an area with multiple designations and protections.

“We fully support the transition to renewable energy, but we are facing both a climate and a nature crisis, and these must be addressed together. You cannot destroy the environment to save it.

Ms Waller, who is leading the Re-think Sea Link campaign argues there are alternative routes Sea Link could take that would have far less environmental impact, although they are less cost-effective.

She added: “It is heartbreaking to see profit prioritised over our natural world.”

The Planning Inspectorate has 28 days to review the application. If accepted, the application will be made public.

Kent Wildlife Trust will then urge members of the public to register as interested parties.

Pegwell Bay Nature Reserve is a protected area opened by Sir David Attenborough in 1999.

Save Minster Marshes campaigner George Cooper says the ecological damage to Pegwell Bay and Minster Marshes would be irreversible.

“The marsh is a vital refuge for rare and legally protected species. Beavers, hares, skylarks, barn owls, slow worms, and lizards all call it home,” said Mr Cooper.

“It also serves as a crucial sanctuary for overwintering birds, cherished by so many at Pegwell Bay. If we lose this habitat, we lose them forever.

“It is unthinkable that this destruction is even being considered when viable alternatives exist. If people want to make a difference, they can join the Minster Marshes Campaign and support Kent Wildlife Trust’s Rethink Sea Link movement.”

The project has been designed to link the Kent and Suffolk coasts with a 138km undersea high-voltage cable to carry renewable and low-carbon power to homes, businesses and public services across the south east.