Video shows campaigner calling for council to act over ‘half-baked plans’ just hours before her tragic death

Sapphire McCarthy died just hours after she made an impassioned speech before a public meeting at Handsworth Social Club in June this year.

She was part of the group which is campaigning to prevent greenbelt land in Sheffield from being turned into housing estates. It has now been renamed Save S13 Greenbelt - The Sapphire McCarthy Campaign in her honour.

The group was formed after Sheffield City Council proposed building on two areas of greenbelt land in S13 - 868 homes off Bramley Lane and another 870 on farmland off Finchwell Lane - which are well used by residents in neighbouring Woodhouse and Stradbroke and are said to be a haven for diverse plants and wildlife.

After the meeting took place, Sapphire returned home and unexpectedly died just hours later aged 39.

Sheffield-born Hollywood star Sean Bean has also been involved with the campaign after being made aware of the plans for the greenbelt land just a stone’s throw from where he grew up - and he also paid tribute to Sapphire calling her a ‘resistance fighter’.

In the video, which has been released to mark the first day of the local plan hearings in Sheffield, she says: “This evening local residents are meeting with our local MP Clive Betts the head of the council Tom Hunt as well as our local councillors to ask questions about the proposed development of 90% of S13s greenbelt.

“It will be ripped away without consideration for thousands of residents' opinions who have signed our petition.

“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.

“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 re-consider their half baked plans.”

A spokesperson for the group said: “We were all absolutely devastated by what happened to our fabulous group leader who understood from the off that this plan is so unfair on the whole community and would see it robbed of 90 per cent of its greenbelt, leaving local communities without boundaries - - which is exactly why greenbelt areas were first introduced.

“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 from today.

“We have felt let down from the off that the council had no desire to listen - even the so-called consultation was floored 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.

“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 Leveling 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.”

Sean Bean added: “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.”

The star of ‘Sharpe’, whose image from the hit show has been used on campaign posters, accused the council of being unfair to the S13 area.

He said: “They thought the objections and protests against it wouldn't be as vociferous as they would be in more affluent other 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 ours and we are not putting up with it and we are going to fight back.”

The group, which has collected 4,000 signatures against the scheme, has also raised around £10,000 to support any future legal action.