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Google Earth view of Sandleford Park, which inspired the novel Watership Down.
In the classic novel, Watership Down, rabbits must flee their countryside home to make way for a new housing development. Now, the land that inspired author Richard Adams’ much-beloved mythic tale is slated to bulldozed for 2,000 new homes. Located in the UK county of Berkshire, near the town of Newbury, the land in question is known as Sandleford Park.
The West Berkshire Council voted 33 to 12 to approve the housing project on the land, saying that it was needed to build 10,500 homes to cater to an increasing population. The housing will cover land that is currently a mix of agriculture, ancient woods, and open park space.
“I am absolutely incensed and horrified by what the council have done,” Richard Adams, now 90, told the Daily Mail.
An organization called Say No to Sandleford is hoping to stop the construction. On its website it notes, “this is just about the last chance to stop Sandleford Park from being covered in concrete.” The organization also says there are other options nearby for additional housing developments.
The new housing development still has to be approved by a Planning Inspector.
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