A campaign against plans to build on Sheffield’s green belt has been backed by actor Sean Bean.

The opposition from locals comes in response to Sheffield City Council’s proposals to release 14 sites, or 3.6% of its green belt to deliver roughly 3,500 new homes.

Having been raised in Handsworth, Sheffield, Mr Bean has voiced his support for the Save S13 Greenbelt – The Sapphire McCarthy Campaign, which is titled to honour the group’s founder who passed away this year.

Mr Bean has reportedly commended the campaigners’ ‘incredible’ work and emphasised that the development plans would be a ‘tragedy’, according to the Express & Star.

Public hearings on the council’s local plan are scheduled to begin on Monday next week, with roughly £6,000 of the campaign group’s GoFundMe donations being spent on legal costs.

A Sheffield City Council spokesperson said the council has ‘exhausted all Brownfield options’, but that the selection of green belt sites is ‘based on the consideration of a wide range of factors, with the overall sustainability of a site being a significant priority. This ensures the delivery of sustainable communities and reduces unnecessary car use.’

They added: ‘The Council’s Ecology Service has provided advice to Planning Officers as part of the site selection process. None of the sites proposed as allocated sites are designated wildlife sites.

‘We recognise that virtually all development land (including many brownfield sites) will have some wildlife present (which varies from sites to site), but all the proposed sites will be subject to national requirements for Biodiversity Net Gain.’