John Nettles backs BARD campaign

The BARD campaign welcomes the addition of another prominent supporter of our efforts to stop the building of a new town just outside Stratford-upon-Avon. Like Dame Judi Dench, who voiced her encouragement of the BARD Campaign earlier this month, actor John Nettles also believes development at this site, on this scale, is utterly inappropriate.

John Nettles, who has lived in the area for 16 years, made his announcement during Stratford’s celebrations of Shakespeare’s birthday: “This very weekend, Stratford’s historical and cultural significance was recognised and celebrated, as Shakespeare’s birthday festivities drew dignitaries and tourists from all corners of the globe.

“So why on earth would some bright spark in London think Stratford’s doorstep would be a suitable place for an eco-town? It is clear to all who know and appreciate the area that both Stratford itself, and the surrounding rural communities, will be forever and irreversibly spoilt if such a massive settlement were to be built at Long Marston.

“The Government likes to label people like me NIMBYs. It suits them to paint a picture of angry, narrow-minded locals brandishing pitchforks and motivated purely by self-interest. But the truth is rather more prosaic. We passionately believe in protecting England’s heritage for succeeding generations.

“It’s not NIMBYISM – it’s realism. We know the area, we love it, and we know what it needs and what it can sustain. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that the London-based decision-makers recognise their responsibility towards England’s cultural heritage.

“What really perplexes me is why the Government thinks Stratford District needs all these new houses, and where it thinks all the new town’s residents are going to work. The new-town can never be self-sustaining so commuting by car will be the norm, totally negating the zero-carbon aim. Stratford is not an area in need of regeneration. Our local schools are full, our roads are choked at rush hour, the fields are prone to flooding and convenient public transport is non-existent. Yet other locations around West Midlands are crying out for investment on this scale.

“I have lived in the area for 16 years. I have had the good fortune throughout my career to film in some truly beautiful villages and greatly respect these rural communities. So I cannot stand silently by, watching our much cherished town suffocate under an influx of tens of thousands of new residents, commuting through Stratford and its villages to their workplaces in Coventry and Birmingham. Leaving not so much an ‘eco’ but ‘ghost-town’ behind.

“Why doesn’t the government incentivise people up and down the country to improve the eco-friendliness of existing homes, whilst building new sustainable homes in well-linked areas that need them, rather than foster Milton Keynes Mark II on rural communities by way of experiment?

“Dame Judi Dench has already taken a principled stand and I wholeheartedly join her in backing the BARD campaign.“

ENDS

John Nettles is available for interview from mid-May.

For further information or request for interview, please contact:

Melanie Riley Tel: 020 7936 2021; melanie@bell-yard.com; Mobile: 07775 591244