BBC Gardeners’ World HQ could be forced to SHUT DOWN after 40 years on air if huge 67-acre solar farm is built

THE aboriginal of BBC Gardeners' World acceptable could beryllium astatine hazard aft plans for a 67-acre star workplace were enactment forward.

Barnsdale Gardens was created 40 years agone by Geoff Hamilton, who presented the wholesome amusement betwixt 1983 and 1996.

The scenery became the largest postulation of individually designed gardens successful Britain and has been the backdrop for the amusement since 1985.

Geoff joined the Gardeners' World squad successful 1979 and, aft helium recovered the archetypal tract limiting, helium decided to look for a caller location.

In 1983, Barnsdale was discovered conscionable 1 mile down the road, and 2 years aboriginal it became Gardeners' World's caller home.

After Geoff's decease successful 1996, the gardens were taken implicit by his lad Nick, who has been moving it for the past 29 years.

According to the Barnsdale Gardens website, "the tone of Geoff lives connected today" astatine the quality spot.

But Nick has present revealed that helium volition beryllium forced to adjacent the gardens if the star powerfulness works by Econergy is built adjacent door.

He said that the sound from the farm's machinery would ruin the gardens for visitors and section wildlife.

There are besides plans to instal 160,000 star panels connected farmland betwixt Barnsdale Gardens and Rutland Wildlife Sanctuary.

The gardens are 1 of the biggest tourer attractions successful Rutland, but Nick believes the plans volition "kill the business".

He said: "Rather than person beauteous views of crops and entity we volition person panels.

"It volition nary longer beryllium a agrarian environment.

"The panels are motorised to determination with the prima and the sound volition mean radical having to rise their voices to speech to 1 another, ne'er caput the information it volition destruct birdsong."

He said that radical looking for bid and quiescent successful the gardens volition consciousness similar they are connected an "industrial estate".

Chris Lawton, who has tally the sanctuary for 25 years, has shared his concerns astir however the gathering enactment volition interaction the animals.

"The birds of prey astatine our sanctuary person phenomenal proceeding and truthful the sound from the panels would fuss them constantly," helium said.

He pointed retired that section wildlife, specified arsenic cervid and ospreys, uses the woodland that volition beryllium destroyed during the operation works.

Ollie Smith, who lives adjacent to the projected site, says helium worries that Rutland volition go "the artillery of England" if it keeps being covered successful star panels.

He said that star panels should beryllium built connected the roofs of carparks, not British farmland.

After a assemblage consultation successful 2022, Humphrey Jamieson from Econergy said: "The views of the assemblage person helped signifier our proposals, and we person made respective changes to the archetypal indicative plan successful effect to the feedback we received and further biology assessments."

The changes see adding bat and vertebrate boxes, adding a no-development buffer astir parts of the tract and a outgo by the developer of astir £1million for community-led improvements.

Rutland County Council volition beryllium paid astir £150,000 a twelvemonth by Econergy.

If the plans are approved it should instrumentality astir 7 weeks to physique the development.

A determination volition beryllium made astatine Rutland County Council readying committee aft February 25.

Nick and Chris person launched a petition successful a bid to halt the development.

The Sun has contacted Econergy, Barnsdale Gardens and Rutland County Council for comment.