A long-running application to open a vivisection supply centre in Yorkshire has been rumbling through the U.K. judicial process for several years, and is currently under review after it was rejected by planning chiefs.

Several celebrities, including Ricky Gervais, have been vocal opponents of the proposal, and now Queen rocker May and Downton Abbey star Egan are appealing to Britain's Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Greg Clark, to kick out the application for good.

Backing a campaign by the National Anti-Vivisection Society, May says, "There is no justification for forcing dogs to suffer in experiments. Please do the right thing and reject these cruel plans."

Egan adds, "The fate of hundreds of dogs hangs in the balance. With science moving away from crude animal tests, it makes no sense to approve these plans and consign man's best friend to a life of suffering in the laboratory."

In April (15), May and Egan both joined a protest march through London to raise awareness of animal welfare policies ahead of the U.K.'s general election the following month (May15).