Kent's bison finally get their bridges
Plus an inaccessible rail footbridge, falling university rankings, Danny Dyer on polluted water and whales in the Thames
Four years after arriving in Blean, Kent’s bison finally have twice as much woodland to roam. Getting them there has required £1m, two bridges and 43km of fencing, partly because British law still treats them as dangerous wild animals. Plus an inquiry into an inaccessible rail footbridge, Ashford’s ghost road, falling university rankings, Danny Dyer versus polluted water and whales in the Thames.
Catch up
Kent is sometimes administered as one county, but our reporting this week showed how differently its places can work.
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission found genuine improvement in Kent’s SEND system, lifting it out of the worst inspection category after years of serious failure. Our report examined the considerable distance between that institutional progress and families’ experiences, which still depend too heavily on where they live, what support they need and how persistently they fight for it.
That uneven county is also preparing to lose its traditional administrative centre. For paid supporters, Steven spoke to Canterbury City Council leader Alan Baldock, who argues that his city is Kent’s natural heart. Their conversation covers the collapse of Labour’s agreement with the Liberal Democrats, working with independent MP Rosie Duffield, local government reorganisation and the compromises involved in running a council without a majority.
Steven Keevil
Meanwhile, another map of Kent is forming around motorways, ports and available land. Industrial floorspace has grown considerably faster here than across England, including a nearly 80% increase in Dartford since 2011. Our feature for paid supporters looks at the investment and jobs behind the warehouse boom, the traffic and lower wages within its sales pitch, and what happens when parts of the county are viewed chiefly as useful places to put loading bays.
Ed Jennings
Kent's bison finally get their bridges
Four years after being released into woodland near Canterbury, Kent’s bison have finally been given somewhere new to go.
Two new crossings have opened in West Blean and Thornden Woods, doubling the area available to the herd from 50 to 100 hectares. They are being billed as the first bison bridges in the UK, although this slightly oversells what happens on them.
The bison go underneath, with humans going over the top.
That is necessary because European bison are still classed as dangerous wild animals under UK law. Some 43km of fencing was installed to keep the animals and public apart, which becomes awkward when your woodland also has public paths running through it. The £1m bridge project is the elaborate solution.
The legal setup has been one of the stranger complications of the project from the start. Kent Wildlife Trust has described the Dangerous Wild Animals Act as one of the barriers it faced when introducing the herd, because bison have to be contained far more securely than ordinary conservation-grazing cattle. The Trust has called Wilder Blean a proof of concept for whether animals more commonly associated with continental Europe can be used to manage British woodland.
That also explains some of the considerable infrastructure required to make an experiment in letting nature manage itself actually happen. The bison have to be separated from public footpaths and bridleways by secure fencing, while gates, crossings and now bridges allow people to continue moving around the woods without entering their enclosure.
It has taken a while to get here. When construction began in September 2024, the first two bridges were expected to be completed by the end of that year. They have now opened nearly two years later, with another two still planned to eventually expand the herd’s territory to 200 hectares.
The bison were apparently initially suspicious of their expensive new infrastructure, making their first crossing at night. Tracking data and cameras now show them regularly moving between the two areas.
“It’s been fascinating to watch the bison gain confidence with the bridges,” said Kent Wildlife Trust’s Bison and Conservation Ranger Heidi Aguirregoicoa. “At first, they were cautious, and their first crossing happened under cover of darkness, but they quickly started using them more regularly.”
The herd arrived in 2022 as the centrepiece of the Wilder Blean experiment. The theory is that bison can help manage woodland simply by behaving like bison: grazing, stripping bark, trampling vegetation and pushing through dense growth, creating a more varied habitat in the process.
Exactly how well that is working is still being established. Kent Wildlife Trust’s monitoring programme compares the bison with conventional conservation grazing and human woodland management, and its results so far are mixed and necessarily preliminary. Delays to the crossings also meant the bison were restricted to a smaller area than the experiment originally intended, with invertebrate researchers warning that their early bison results should be treated as a baseline rather than firm evidence of an effect.
For now, at least, the bridges give Kent’s bison twice as much woodland in which to wander around breaking things for environmental reasons.
In brief
🗳️ Following heavy losses in the 2024 general election, the Conservatives have selected their initial target seats for the next election. In Kent, these are Dartford, Gravesham, Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Maidstone and Malling, and Ashford.
🎓 Kent's universities have all fallen in the latest Times' university rankings. University of Kent fell eight places to 64th of 130, University of Greenwich dropped one place to 101st, while Canterbury Christ Church dropped 22 places to 103rd.
🚓 Kent Police issued 280 dispersal orders in Thanet over the summer to reduce antisocial behaviour.
🦽 A public inquiry is to go ahead over a rail footbridge that didn't bother to include disabled access.
👻 A 'ghost road' linking two new housing estates in Ashford is finally set to open in 2027.
🏬 What do you do with an unsellable £4m shopping centre?
🗑️ Food waste bins are finally going to be delivered to the people of Dartford.
🚰 Danny Dyer is very upset about polluted water, joining a protest in Leysdown.
🐋 A whale pod has been spotted in the Thames between Gravesend and Tilbury.
🍝 This week, it's the Telegraph's turn to review Keller in Whitstable.
🎹 Zoe Williams of the Guardian learnt about human ingenuity at Ramsgate Festival of Sound.
Council matters
By-elections:
- Tunbridge Wells: Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden by-election is on Wednesday (for some reason). The candidates are Max Chesters (Green), Nicholas Lees (Conservative), David Somers (Reform), and Harry Wormington (Lib Dem).
Meetings this week:
- Medway: Cabinet will discuss finances, nuisance vehicles, private sector licensing, and more on Tuesday.
- Sevenoaks: Cabinet will talk about treasury management and public space protection orders on Tuesday.
- Dartford: Cabinet will discuss town centre regeneration, active travel, and more on Thursday.
- Folkestone & Hythe: Personnel Committee will meet behind closed doors on Thursday to discuss the staff pay award for 2027/28.
- Sevenoaks: Development Management Committee will decide on 810 homes, a local centre, care home, and school on the former Brooke Hill Golf Course on Thursday, with officers recommending the application be approved.
- Thanet: Council meets on Thursday to discuss violence against women and girls, treasury management, planning, and more.
- Tunbridge Wells: Cabinet will discuss finance and planning on Thursday.
New planning applications:
- Dartford: Replacement of driving range bays with padel courts at Birchwood Park Golf and Country Club.
- Folkestone & Hythe: Outline application for 110 homes north of New Romney.
- Folkestone & Hythe: Outline application for 18 new homes in Lyminge.
Property of the week
This two-bedroom Victorian terrace on Ospringe Road in Faversham has gone all-in on colour, and is considerably better for it. Spread over three floors, the sitting room is tucked away downstairs with an open fireplace and exposed beams, while the dining room has another fireplace and enough wallpaper, dark paint and original features to avoid the usual renovated-Victorian fate of everything becoming grey. Upstairs are two double bedrooms, while out back is an 89ft garden, which feels faintly excessive for a two-bedroom terrace this close to the centre of Faversham. It is on the market for £335,000.
Events this week
🎬 Tue 22 Sep - People’s Emergency Briefing // Documentary presenting evidence from scientists and security experts on the climate and nature crisis, followed by a panel discussion with local teachers. Alexander Centre, Faversham. Free.
🤼 Sat 26 Sep - UKPW // Wrestling action returns with an even bigger show. Chatham Historic Dockyard. Tickets from £12.
🎤 Sat 26 Sep - Laura Lexx: Yo-Yo // Award-winning comedian back with a brand new show. Marlowe Studio, Canterbury. Tickets £20.
Footnotes
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