Kew Gardens move to Reading could still happen
University of Reading say they remain hopeful Kew's Herbarium could be re-located to their Thames Valley science park
The university of Reading say they're still hopeful Kew Gardens will move their Herbarium to the town.
The Herbarium is the world's largest collection of dried plant specimens.
The university's Thames Valley science park in Shinfield is already home to the British Museum's archive collection and will soon host the natural history museum's reserve collection and research centre.
University vice-chancellor Robert Van de Noort CBE says hopes remain high that it will eventually happen:
"The plans are still there we have given Kew a number of years to develop the concept and seek funding from government and to have this herbarium built on our land and we are in the middle of that.
"The Herbarium in Kew is held in a Victorian building it degrades the DNA which is the really interesting element it needs a modern house and we would love to have that on our land building a partnership with Kew alongside the natural history museum and British museum."
Many people have objected to the plan with an 18,000 signature petition. The petition claims that moving the herbarium would be tantamount to ‘removing the beating heart from the body’ of the Royal Botanic Gardens.