Sean Bean: Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings star backs campaign against new homes in Sheffield green belt
Hollywood star Sean Bean has thrown his weight behind a campaign to stop a new housing development close to where he grew up.
Bean was brought up in the Handsworth area of Sheffield, where 1,638 houses have been allocated on green belt land as part of the city council’s draft local plan.
The plan is due to be scrutinised at public hearings starting next week, and a campaign group has been raising money for planning consultants and lawyers to help them oppose the Handsworth proposals.
The Game Of Thrones and Lord of the Rings actor praised the “incredible” efforts of Save S13 Greenbelt - The Sapphire McCarthy Campaign, adding: “We’re not going to stop. We’ll see this through.”
Speaking on a video produced by the campaigners, Bean described how the fields around the Handsworth were the “hub” of his childhood.
He said: “It would be a tragedy if that was all built over.
“When I heard that they were deciding to offer up 90 per cent of green belt land to developers, I think we were all pretty shocked, because it means so much to us, that area. People of all ages – young and old.
“It’s got such a tradition and a history, and it would be devastating if that was lost. You’ve got to have greenery. It’s a calming influence. It’s good for your health, it’s good for your mind.
“We don’t realise how good it was until gone. I know how good it was for me, and was a massive part of my life growing up in and around that area.
“It’s common land, it’s the people’s land. The council own it, but they’re just going to flog it and keep the money.
“Then it will be gone. They’ll have a bit of money in their pockets and we won’t have anything. There’s plenty of other places to build.”