Registered wildlife site needs protecting

SAVE Bugs Bottom says: "We are pleased that we're being able to represent the views of Bugs Bottom users in this consultation and present our case without the misinformation that has been circulated previously.

"However, we stand by the same stance we made when we first became aware that Bugs Bottom was being suggested as a potential site for the school â?? Bugs Bottom is not the best location and needs to be protected for its ecological value.

"As a registered local wildlife site, Bugs Bottom should be protected.

"Building the school would have a devastating impact on the ecology of the site, not just in the proposed area to be built on, but also on the wider site.



"Of the sites being proposed, it is the only one with unique ecological value and is the only site of its kind in the Reading borough.

â??Protected species like badgers, bats and red kites and numerous other important animals, birds, insects, butterflies and bees have been recorded as being present on the site. These would be affected by the school development.

â??Bugs Bottom is also located in north-east Caversham rather than in the west, which is where school places are desperately needed.

â??Currently, there is no vehicle or public transport access to the site and building here would drive traffic towards the existing schools and the east of Caversham, where three schools already exist withinin a 1.5-mile radius. Bugs Bottom is currently enjoyed by a wide range of the community. Building the school here would deter many of its users, such as bird watchers, wildlife enthusiasts, horse riders, walkers etc., from using the site due to the school noise/increased people having a knock-on effect on the visibility of the wildlife and peacefulness of the site.

â??We absolutely believe the children of west Caversham need a school but we agree with the Education Funding Agencyâ??s decision in its original review that it is â??unlikely to be possible for any development to be realisedâ?? on Bugs Bottom.

â??We submitted a petition in support of our position with 1,565 signatures to Reading Borough Council in January.â?�