Mum supported by Sean Bean blasts 'wicked' housing plans - then dies hours later

A mum-of-two died hours after blasting 'wicked' housing plans as actor Sean Bean joined the campaign.

Sapphire McCarthy led the fight against controversial proposals and in a moving video the tireless campaigner, 39, blasted the plans. The 39-year-old tireless campaigner organised a packed public meeting before going back home and passing away that very same night. On Monday, her fellow supporters vowed to continue fighting for the cause and shared the video for the first time to gear up support ahead of a crucial localplan hearing.

Sapphire spoke loud and clear in the clip, just hours before her death, saying: "This evening local residents are meeting with our local MP Clive Betts and the head of the council, Tom Hunt, as well as our local councillors to ask questions about the proposed development of 90% of S13's greenbelt.

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"It will be ripped away without consideration for the opinions of thousands of residents who have signed our petition against Sheffield City Council. Whilst young professionals in the west of the city are crying out for affordable housing which is not being offered to them because the council has focused 44% of nearly all the greenbelt building in our postcode alone," NeedToKnow reports.

"Why should clean air, community boundaries and the chance to enjoy nature and all it has to offer be a privilege of wealthier areas only? Unfair doesn't come close. What we can see today is just a section of people who are against these plans, and they believe the council needs to reconsider their half-baked plans."

The group has since been renamed in her honour to be called Save S13 Greenbelt – The Sapphire McCarthy Campaign. As locals continue to fight the good fight, the campaign itself was kickstarted when Sheffield City Council proposed two huge new housing developments.

Its big plans were made up of 868 homes built off Bramley Lane and 870 on farmland off Finchwell Lane. These developments are both sites treasured by the community in Woodhouse and Stradbroke and act as a home to so much wildlife, now under threat.

Sean Bean weighed in on the cause, having thrown his huge Hollywood name behind the campaign, hailing the late Saph as a "resistance fighter". The actor shared: "I spoke to Sapphire some months ago, and we discussed everything, and I just remember her being so passionate and becoming very quickly a kind of 'resistance fighter' because of the necessity of someone to be one.

"This city of Sheffield was built on people standing up to things, resistance and not being afraid to speak their mind, and Saph was such a person." Since its inception, Bean has made his support loud and clear, as his face remains splashed across campaign posters.

He further said: "They thought the objections and protests against it wouldn't be as vociferous as they would be in other more affluent areas of the city like Dore and Totley. I suppose a lot of these people – perhaps councillors and developers – live there, and they wouldn't put up with it on their doorstep; they just want to put it on ours and we are not putting up with it, and we are going to fight back."

While campaigners have pledged to carry on, they were understandably "devastated" by their loss of their leader. They will continue the "fight" that she started and raise awareness for others to join them in doing so.

A spokesperson for the group said: "We pledge to carry forward the mission Saph championed and will ensure her legacy to safeguard S13 will live on. We will explain our concerns to the independent government inspectors.

"We have felt let down from the off that the council had no desire to listen – even the so-called consultation was flawed on so many levels. Most people were unaware of the plans until we knocked on doors – there were no leaflets or letters sent – the first we knew about it was when a media report came to light."

They continued to explain: "It has been completely unfair, and yet the council continues to relinquish responsibility for their actions. Our local MP Clive Betts has dedicated his support to us, and we are grateful that he understands just what this means to our community – especially in his role as Chair of the Government's Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee – and he is prepared to help us fight.

"This is the fight which Saph started, and although it is very emotional for us, we are very proud that her presence is here with us today."

Already the group has seen an impressive 4,000 signatures and raised £10,000 for potential legal action needed through their GoFundMe page. On top of this, they have created a website for their campaign, keeping residents and those supporting the campaign from afar updated.