Rainham Marshes will lose its shop, cafe and education programme as part of wider RSPB cuts - but its visitor centre will remain open for now.
The retail facility and cafe at the RSPB-run nature reserve will shut for good in January, the charity announced today.
This follows a "review" of more than a month, where it considered cuts to 60 nature reserves across the country.
The Recorder exclusively revealed that this included proposals to scrap not only the shop and cafe, but also the visitor centre and education programme at Rainham Marshes.
The RSPB has now confirmed it is going ahead with the closure of the shop and cafe.
The future of the visitor centre remains in doubt beyond the next 12 months.
In an update on the Rainham Marshes blog, the charity said that it will be "looking at how it [the visitor centre] operates" during that time frame.
In a statement about the review as a whole, the RSPB added that the "future management of the visitor centre will be explored", although it will remain open.
The Schools on Reserves education programme - that encouraged school visits and education sessions guided by RSPB learning officers at Rainham Marshes - will also be scrapped in its current form.
The RSPB called it a "difficult decision" but that it is now in the process of developing a "new education model", with more details to follow in 2025.
It said it has needed to look for "efficiencies" to ensure its "longer-term sustainability".
READ MORE: RSPB Rainham Marshes one of 60 sites facing proposed cuts
The charity said: "Like any responsible charity, we are always trying to make sure that the money that we receive from our generous members and supporters is spent in the best possible way to help nature.
"This work has meant really focusing in on what each site’s unique contribution to our strategy and mission should be.
"Our staff who work on these sites and our incredible volunteers who do so much are the beating heart of what we do.
"But to remain strong and viable we need to make some changes."
A spokesperson for the RSPB told the Recorder that a "number of staff" will be affected by the cuts at Rainham Marshes, but said they do not know the exact number at this stage.
They added that they are "working hard to reduce redundancies wherever possible".
The shop and the cafe will be open until Christmas, but the charity has said there may be some changes to cafe and shop opening times in the coming weeks.
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