George Clooney in scene from Ocean's Thirteen

George Clooney has joined a protest against construction of a parking lot and promenades in the Northern Italian lakeside town where he lives.

The 46-year-old actor was among 300 townspeople who signed a petition protesting the projects in the town of Laglio on Lake Como.

In a June 22 e-mail to the Associated Press, Clooney wrote "My concern is that this village that has stood for hundreds of years would be destroyed simply because I happened to have lived there for the last six years. I told my neighbors that I would do what they wanted. And it seemed that they didn't want to demolish the harbor where all the local fishermen keep their boats."

Clooney said the petition has spurred the mayor to announce that at least some of the $18.8 million development plan has been scrapped.

Tourism in the area has increased since Clooney moved there.