PROTECT Our Waverley campaign group objecting to a new settlement at Dunsfold Park stepped up the pressure with the release of an eight-minute protest film featuring Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes.

Starting with a brief history of its Second World War beginnings, before moving on to current footage of the airfield and surrounding countryside, the voice-over by Margolyes, who played Professor Pomona Sprout in the Harry Potter films, warns against building a new settlement there.

Miriam says: “It’s time to stand up to the Government and the property developers to preserve our environment.”

And she finishes by saying: “Let’s fight for housing but in the right place.”

Dunsfold Park’s application for a new settlement of 1,800 and an expansion of its business park is due to be determined by Waverley in August.

The borough council’s draft Local Plan has already earmarked the airfield for 2,600 of the 9,862 houses it needs to build by 2032 to meet increased government housing targets. The application has triggered 1,600 objections, including a combined protest by 11 parish councils, but supporters have called for even more house – at total of 3,400 – to be built there in order to reduce the number allocated to Waverley’s greenfield sites in the blueprint.

Accompanying the video, is a separate filmed recording of Miriam in which she explains her objections.

She said: “I hope people listen and understand that we’re not against housing for people, of course not, but it’s got to be supported by infrastructure, which means sewage and roads, timetables and schools and health centres.

“You can’t just dump a whole lot of people in the middle of the countryside and not support them. So I hope Waverley Council and the minister is listening to what we are saying.”

Dunsfold Park declined to comment on the film which can be found on YouTube.