Locals lose battle to stop 360 homes being built on picturesque 'Watership Down' farmland

Residents person mislaid their combat to halt hundreds of homes being built connected farmland which inspired the deed Hollywood movie Watership Down.

Richard Adams' 1972 caller told the communicative of a young rabbit who has a imaginativeness of his onshore being destroyed by bulldozers astatine Sandleford and journeys with his radical to Watership Down.

Now the arguable program to physique 360 caller homes astatine Sandleford Park has been approved by West Berkshire councillors.

In 2011 Richard Adams, who grew up adjacent Sandleford, criticised plans to physique 2,000 houses successful the area.

The author, who died successful 2016, said astatine the clip 'It's a beauteous portion of unfastened state and the astir beauteous country southbound of Newbury. The precise thought of gathering connected it makes your gorge rise.'

At the assembly gathering past night, officers recommended support for developers Donnington New Homes' program for 360 houses, contempt much than 100 objections.

Councillor Denise Gaines, portfolio holder for highways, lodging and sustainable travel, insisted the homes were 'desperately needed'.

'I cognize however galore radical are presently connected my lodging database and are waiting for homes, however galore radical are successful impermanent accommodation successful our hotels and adjacent the Travelodge.

'These radical person been determination for immoderate time. This is not an perfect concern successful 2024.'

Phantom of the Opera composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's mansion, acceptable successful a 5,000-acre state estate, is adjacent to Watrership Down.

It's besides connected the doorstep of Highclere Castle, wherever Downton Abbey was set.

Approval of the caller homes shows however the request for lodging is coming up against the tendency to support immoderate of Britain's astir cherished landscapes.

Richard Adams wrote the caller for his children and successful 1978 it was turned into a hugely palmy tear-jerking Hollywood movie, and the chart-topping opus 'Bright Eyes' by Art Garfunkel.

Thousands of Watership Down fans flock to the tract each twelvemonth to travel successful the footsteps of the household of rabbits.

And successful a real-life echo of the storyline, protesters warring the lodging improvement accidental beauteous protected habitats and past woodlands would beryllium astatine risk.

Richard, who died aged 96 successful 2016, spoke retired passionately against the proposals earlier his death.

'It is my steadfast content that to physique connected the quiescent meadows of Sandleford would beryllium an disfigured invasion, a nasty coiled to 1 of the loveliest retreats successful each Berkshire and Hampshire.

'I recognize that houses request to beryllium built, and that radical request homes to unrecorded in.

'But immoderate dispassionate introspection of the concern leads to the emphatic decision that this onshore should not beryllium built on. If Sandleford goes for development, it volition beryllium the bladed extremity of the wedge.

'Once an country of countryside has been breached into for development, the process continues until the full country has been ruined. I mightiness beryllium dead, but however volition you consciousness astir that?'

Developers eyeing immense profits person been trying to physique connected the tract since it was identified arsenic a 'preferred' tract for lodging successful 2010.

Campaign radical Say No To Sandleford person vowed to proceed the fight, saying the plans volition 'surround the past woodlands successful a partition of concrete'.

Their petition, signed by thousands of people, states 'It is astounding that this country holds 7 past woodlands successful adjacent proximity, processing people and dating from earlier 1600.

'These woodlands are linked and supply the sole situation for galore taxon of carnal and plant, galore protected successful the UK specified arsenic the hazel dormouse, barbastelle bat, fieldfare thrush and the lapwing.

'The past wood pasture and parkland incorporate past trees and historical hedgerow, each of which is nether threat.'

One idiosyncratic signing it posted 'I judge successful redeeming our woodlands against unnecessary implicit improvement conscionable for the involvement of maximising profit.'

Another wrote 'This is simply a nationalist disgrace to let past woodland and habitats to beryllium ripped up by greedy, irresponsible and arrogant developers.

'There are excessively galore houses being built successful Britain and excessively galore owning 2nd homes. When volition this madness end?'

Protesters accidental a beauteous agelong of countryside, location to uncommon birds and butterflies - and rabbits - volition beryllium destroyed and views of Watership Down volition beryllium wrecked.

The developers accidental determination would beryllium a 15m buffer betwixt developed areas and past woodlands.

The Woodland Trust said the improvement would destruct historical past woodland.

The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust said the country was captious to sphere uncommon earthy ecology.

They said 'We person objected to the gathering plans connected the ground of the detrimental interaction it volition person connected the situation of section wildlife and made a bid of recommendations including larger buffer zones to support the site's past woodlands.'