Published: Wednesday, 19th March, 2008 17:00
So much to consider before the development takes flight
By Alex Gore
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THE BATTLE to prevent the 7,500-home Kennet Valley Park minitown being built on the flood plain is only part of the story as Chronicle reporter Alex Gore discovered when he went to meet wildlife experts fearful for the future of the area's rare birds. He met Colin Wilson and John Lerpiniere from the Berkshire Ornithological Club and Chris Giles, a member of the Whitchurch Camera Club, at the Cunning Man in Burghfield on Friday.
WE WASTED no time in heading down Searles Farm Lane towards the wetlands corridor of former gravel pits, now filled with lakes, that would be completely transformed by the development.
And I soon discovered that it is home to a rich variety of birds including numerous species that are on RSPB’s red and amber list of endangered species.
Birds on the Red List have seen a rapid (more than 50%) decline in their global breeding population over the last 25 years while birds on the Amber List have seen a moderate (25-49%) decline in their UK population over the same period.
Colin Wilson said: “The gravel pits have been left to their own devices since being dug out more than 30 years ago.
“They have become extremely important wildlife areas yet they remain a brown-field site as that was the status of the old gravel pits but they should be reclassified due to the rich and varied wildlife that inhabits the area.”
Only minutes into the trip we saw two Great Crested Grebes courting. It was a magnificent sight to see the birds shaking their long necks with their beautifully feathered crests puffed out.
These birds were almost extinct 100 years ago before an act of parliament stopped people making hats out of them.
We then spotted a Shoveler, a duck with a beautiful green head and long bill, which Colin explained are breeding in the area but are easily spooked and would not stick around once development began.
We also saw a Reed Bunting, which is on the Red List, and like the Shoveler would not take kindly to the building of 7,500 new homes.
Colin said: “This is a threatened species because its population is declining across the globe. Any form of development in this area would lead to yet further decline.”
Our luck continued as we spotted the Amber-listed Gadwall, whose presence makes the area one of national importance for the breed, before we spotted the Red-listed Bullfinch, which uses the site as a vital breeding ground.
Colin explained: “The Bullfinch is one of the most attractive British birds but they are disappearing fast throughout the country. They feed on buds and used to strip orchards which lead to there numbers declining as they became more and more unpopular.
“They now come to areas like this to find food but with areas like this coming under threat from developers they are running out of places to go.”
After taking a look at the Heronry, which is home to around 24 herons and one of only three left in Berkshire, we spied a group Cormorants which use the site as Berkshire’s only winter roost.
Other birds we spotted included Goldeneyes, Egyptian Geese, Tufted Ducks, Pochards, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Wigeons, Little Egrets, Kingfishers, Cetti’s Warblers and Little Grebes. We even saw a fresh set of deer tracks.
It is unmistakable how rich the wetlands are in terms of wildlife and it easy to see why The British Trust for Ornithology class it as a conservation area and believe it would be a mistake to buiild Kennet Valley Park.
Colin added: “West Berkshire Council have designated this area a Wildlife Heritage Site but that is a relatively low level of protection. If we are serious about protecting this area it ought to be designated a Site of Specific Scientific Interest.
“This is a vital corridor of wildlife and if we stick a load of concrete in the way it will be lost forever.”
READING WEST MP Martin Salter is appealing to his constituents to sign a petition against the Prudential proposal to build 7,500 new homes on the Kennet floodplain just north of the M4.
But Mr Salter is urging them to hurry because he plans to formally present the petition to parliament after the Easter Weekend and is calling for petitions to be returned by March 20.
Mr Salter is campaigning against the inclusion of the proposal in last month’s Examination in Public, a document that proposes developments to be included in the South East Plan.
Mr Salter said: “The recommendations are seriously flawed and take no account of the increased flood risk that would be caused by building on the functional floodplain.
“I am urging everyone who cares about the future of south west Reading to sign up to our campaign so that I can present the most powerful case possible to planning ministers to protect the Kennet Meadows.”
To sign the petition visit www.readinglabour.org.uk/news/080123.html
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