A FOOTBALL club has joined the list of campaigners protesting against a school being built on a community hotspot.

Caversham Trents Football Club (CTFC) stepped up its opposition against The Heights Free School being built on Mapledurham playing fields.

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has pledged more than £1m towards the playing fields but CTFC claim the plans will not benefit the wider community.

Daniel Mander, chairman, said: "In the beginning this proposal promised to be a community build by the EFA but our committee have come to the conclusion that the plans are of no real use to the community of volunteers that use the plaing fields and it is only about the school.

"CTFC have had a 3 year lease of MPF for the last six years and we have looked after the football pitches in tandem with Reading Borough Council's parks department and they are very pleased at the way we have.We have always wanted a longer lease (25 years) so that we can work towards funding from the FA who think of us as a model grassroots club and are keen to invest.

"With this reason in mind,it is simply wrong to use land that is protected and set aside for recreation use only for a build that lacks any imagination and breaks the trust, putting the rest of the playing fields at risk of expansion and further builds."

Mapledurham playing fields was revealed as the preferred destination of the Heights Free School last year. The school currently operates more than a mile away.

Reading Borough Council recently launched a final consultation proposing to use the playing fields as a permanent destination and parents urged residents to back the plans.

Rebecca Leach said: "We urge all residents to have their say in the upcoming consultation on the EFA's proposal.

“As well as securing a permanent site for the Heights school, the proposal brings a significant investment of £1.36m to be spent on Mapledurham Playing Fields.

“In the current climate, a cash investment of this kind from central Government is unheard of.

“It will completely transform the neglected facilities at the playing fields, bringing real recreational benefits for the whole community.”