Barnsdale Gardens have been at the forefront of peat-free and chemical-free growing since Geoff Hamilton, the much loved BBC Gardeners World presenter, founded them in 1983.
The Barnsdale team are proud of the fact that they host Britain's largest collection of individually designed gardens, which are displayed on eight acres of land. Needless to say, they are fully in support of sustainable energy, but not when it comes to the damage that can occur to this wondrous array of sustainable flora and fauna.
A proposed solar farm has been planned for the 81 hectares of fields directly next to Barnsdale. The constant noise of the motorised panels as they follow the sun will be detrimental to the rich wildlife habitat, not to mention the peace of the visitors to the gardens. The height of these solar panels are an issue too, at three metres high they will become an overbearing backdrop to the gardens, replacing the stunning green fields and beautiful blue sky that are enjoyed now.
The discussion is interesting as, as vital as renewable energy is, there is certainly an argument for a much more suitable location for this solar farm to be found, which in turn would enable the legacy of Geoff Hamilton to be preserved as a valuable local resource of nature and tranquillity.
A petition can be signed on the link below:
https://www.petitions.net/stop_the_solar_farm_next_to_barnsdale_gardens