The RSPB supports Medway’s efforts to connect ecologically important sites, reflecting the ‘bigger, better and more joined-up’ recommendations of the Lawton Principles. We would like to see these corridors being given a status that supports appropriately establishing, protecting and maintaining them in practice, otherwise they risk being just limited to ambition in a strategy. A great deal of work has gone into the forthcoming Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) (‘Making Space for Nature’) across Kent and Medway, and it is vital that there is consistency with proposed corridors and priority habitat enhancement and key areas identified within the LNRS – therefore we agree with 4.6.6 This work will be further developed in the Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy. When pursuing this policy, the Council should ensure directing access away from ecologically sensitive sites and functionally linked land where disturbance may impact wildfowl, waders and other wildlife. Pursuing this policy should also include awareness of important sites for declining farmland birds such as turtle dove, for which Medway is very important. The Kent Ornithological Society (KOS) has produced some maps identifying core areas of farmland birds in Medway, including areas where they are declining and need intervention. Such key areas include coastal parts of the Hoo Peninsula, especially the north-east and north-west corners, and the area around Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill SSSI. The map shows a potential corridor around Lodge Hill SSSI and this could be used to serve as part of the 400-metre buffer to protect the SSSI in perpetuity. This would also help connect key nightingale populations and facilitate their spread. We recommend that these areas be factored into ecological corridors as a priority. We would be keen to assist with this and we suggest Medway works with the RSPB and KOS to help inform this work.