Stop Watership Down Development
- by: Judith B.
- recipient: West Berkshire Council
In a case of life mirroring art, the rural setting of the novel Watership Down might be destined to become a housing development.
Sandleford in Berkshire is where Richard Adams set his 1972 story. West Berkshire Council now proposes to concrete the site over, erecting 2,000 new houses, in a move that almost exactly mimics events in the novel.
Aside from being important in itself as part of the rapidly disappearing English countryside, Sandleford's literary associations could attract visitors and bring income to the area.
While the Conservative-run council claims the greenfield site is their only option, local campaigners, including the author himself, say different. They point out that plenty of perfectly adequate brownfield - previously developed - sites exist in the area.
Tell West Berkshire Council not to destroy an important part of the English countryside for convenience and profit.
We the undersigned ask that you do not allow the proposed housing development at Sandleford to go ahead. This site is an important cultural and ecological resource and there is no need to use it when the area contains plenty of brownfield sites ripe for development. Putting convenience and profit ahead of social responsibility is not what this council was elected for. We ask that you halt these plans as a matter of urgency, and remove Sandleford from the list of designated housing sites.
Thank you for your attention.
