Sean Bean has backed campaigners against development on Sheffield’s green belt
Sean Bean along with campaigners
Hollywood actor Sean Bean has told his hometown council it feels like “history is repeating itself” as plans to build thousands of homes on the green belt emulate the street trees controversy.
Sean, who grew up in Handsworth in Sheffield, one of the areas hardest hit by the green belt development plans, told Sheffield City Council to heed warnings from its abusive conduct during the street trees saga as it pushes forward with its local plan.
A blue plaque commemorating the street tree protestors in Sheffield was unveiled at Sheffield Town Hall earlier this month. But Sean has warned it feels as though the council has not learned its lessons. The Game of Thrones actor, who said his career has been influenced by the green belt area and hosts a birdwatching podcast, said: “This should have been a moment of reflection. Instead, it feels like history repeating itself, and we have to remember when areas of the greenbelt have gone – you cannot replant them – they are gone forever.”
Sean added: “The unveiling of a plaque commemorating the protection of Sheffield’s street trees was intended to symbolise the city’s ability to learn from the past.”
Sean Bean has donated £5,000 to campaigners fighting againts more than 1,500 homes being built on green belt land in Handsworth, Sheffield(Image: Save S13 Greenbelt – The Sapphire McCarthy Campaign)
The plaque reads: “In recognition of the courageous campaigners who saved thousands of street trees from wrongful felling by Sheffield City Council, and as a reminder to all that such failures in leadership must never happen again.” Sean said the council must “take heed of this message now and listen to these very real concerns before our amazing green belt is destroyed”.
Sean has backed the campaign with a £5,000 donation. Sheffield South East Labour MP Clive Betts has also opposed the plan, admitting that he is sceptical about the council’s “meaningful consultation”. In a letter to residents, Mr Betts said: “I will be honest with you. I am incredibly sceptical that this is a meaningful consultation, given the way the council and the inspectorate have refused to take account of alternative views so far.
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“I want to reassure you that I remain opposed to this local plan. It does not serve the area or any residents and only adds to the inequality between the East and the West of the city. The council must reject this local plan and I will be campaigning to this end over the coming months. There is still time to prevent this injustice.”
When unveiling the plaque, Sheffield City Council chief executive Kate Josephs said “this is a moment to pause, to reflect, and to acknowledge a really difficult chapter in the city’s recent history”. Ms Josephs acknowledged the independent inquiry by Mark Lowcock, which said the council abused its power to mislead the public in felling health trees.
She added: “It also serves as a reminder how important it is that public institutions work hard to listen carefully to the communities they serve.”
Sheffield residents are protesting against the council’s plans to build on the green belt(Image: Andrew Dowdeswell / YorkshireLive)
The Sheffield Greenbelt Alliance has accused the council of “wanton hypocrisy”. A spokesperson for the campaign group said: “The council might apologise for their failures around the tree-felling, but they do not seem to learn.”
The council said 96 per cent of the green belt will remain untouched by the local plan. It claimed if the local plan is not passed, further development on the green belt will be required in the future.
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