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Nearly 40,000 people have signed a petition asking the Natural History Museum not to disturb its wildlife garden, where 3,000 species, including new, rare, and endangered critters, have lived for the last 21 years.
The acre of green space bordered by protected London Plane trees is a popular destination with schools, plus anyone wanting to get away from the exhaust fumes and crowds that buzz around the NHM. But the museum has submitted plans to spruce up its back yard with improved access, new paths, a circular pond, a new Jurassic area to house Dippy the diplodocus dinosaur (who is currently on a UK tour) and larger planting areas.
So why all the fuss? Protesters claim that the plans to build a path through the middle of the garden will result in more than 50 percent of the garden being lost or uprooted.
But a spokesperson from the Natural History Museum said that the petition organisers offered 'a misleading view'. They added: 'We are pleased to say that we are actually doubling the size of the Wildlife Garden and that 76 percent of the planting in it will be retained'.
It's true that new habitats will form and in a few years time when the garden is all lush and green, no-one will notice the difference. But let's hope the plans don't cause too much of a disturbance to this lovely green oasis in the meantime.
Sign the petition or find out more information about the NHM's planning application here.