Canvey Island the 30 hectares known as West Canvey marshes, acquired by the RSPB in 2007, and the Canvey Wick nature reserve. Canvey Wick is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at the site of the abandoned and incomplete oil refinery. The foundations of the 100 hectare (0.4 sq mile) site were prepared in the 1970s by laying thousands of tonnes of silt dredged from the Thames; the abandoned and undisturbed area has flourished as a haven for around 1,300 species of wildlife, many of which are endangered or were thought to be extinct; including the shrill carder bee, the
Canvey Island Independent Party Canvey Island Independent Party The Canvey Island Independent Party (CIIP) is a local political party active on Canvey Island, in Essex, England. It was established in 2004 to campaign for a separate district council for Canvey Island. Canvey Island became a single civil parish in 1881, replacing 17 former divisions that had existed in broadly the same form since the Norman era. In 1926, the parish was converted to the Canvey Island Urban District, which governed the island as a distinct entity. The Urban District was dissolved along with the mainland Benfleet Urban District in the Local Government Act 1972