Villagers fear losing quiet life to 'monstrosity' meat processing plant

Villagers fear losing quiet life to 'monstrosity' meat processing plant

Residents of a small village in south Scotland say they are worried they will lose their "quiet life" after construction began on a £24m meat processing plant nearby.

The Pickstock Telford project at Ecclefechan is expected to bring about 90 jobs to a rural area, while also helping cut food miles.

The company has said that at its factory in England "you wouldn't even know there was a food processing plant on site".

However, villagers still have concerns about possible traffic, odours, noise and pollution from the plant, which is due to be operational by 2029.

Dave Cooper, 60, spent the past 10 years in southern California before relocating to the cooler climate of Dumfries and Galloway.

"I retired to Ecclefechan looking for a quiet life in an uncomplicated village with good facilities for our boxer that we brought across with us," he said.

"When buying property towards the north-west end of village I knew nothing of the animal processing facility - or the rest of the phases."

He said the village already had problems with "heavy vehicles occasionally speeding down the main road" and feared that could worsen.

"The meat processing plant, I hope, is far enough on the periphery to not be an issue though light, noise and odour pollution are a concern and the potential for much higher rates of heavy livestock vehicles," he said.

"We have been told that they will advise all such vehicles not to use the village - but advising doesn't always mean much without proper controls."

One local resident, who did not want to be named, questioned why the site had been chosen so close to the village playing field.

She also raised concerns about traffic, smells and possible contamination of nearby waterways.

"They should stay at their slaughterhouse in Shropshire," she said.

"It's not wanted or needed here, especially located where it's started to be built and the sheer size of it.

"It is going to spoil our little village which is quite a historic village and has two holiday sites nearby, it might impact the tourism in a negative way."

She added: "I for one would not want to come on holiday to a little Scottish village and have to go past the monstrosity that is being built."

Another resident, who also asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that he did not oppose beef production or a modern abattoir in the area.

But he said he objected to the factory’s location and scale, as well as the way the community had been treated.

"My biggest concern is the continued loss of greenfield land to major developments in Dumfries and Galloway," he said.

"The council's own planning policy promotes the reuse of previously developed and brownfield land, yet we continue to see large developments being placed on greenfield sites because the land is available.

"For me, the fundamental question is simple - was Ecclefechan genuinely the best place for a development of this scale, or was it simply the most convenient place to put it?"

The company said the project - supported by nearly £5m from South of Scotland Enterprise - made business sense, with the quality of Scottish produce "second to none".

It also said the site was in a "very accessible corridor" that could benefit both its operations and local farmers.

The company said experience at its other site in Telford showed that neither smells nor visual impact should be a problem.

The development is expected to create about 250 jobs during construction and a further 90 permanent roles once it is operating.

Around 40 apprenticeship opportunities are also forecast, including 25 during construction and 15 after the site opens.