Endangered Spiders Stall UK Housing Plans

In Kent, a colony of rare "distinguished jumping spiders" has halted plans to build 1,300 homes. Natural England has declared the site's environmental significance due to these spiders, complicating a government-backed £300 million project near Ebbsfleet Station. With local house prices averaging £400,000, this intervention potentially blocks £500 million in property sales. This setback poses challenges for the government's house-building agenda aimed at economic growth, highlighting tensions between development and environmental laws.