A resident in Huntington says the erection of a solar panel installation behind her home means she is now looking out on to a ‘vast concrete stadium’.
United Utilities has installed the panels on land it owns to the rear of Bachefield Avenue and Butterbache Road to help power its water treatment works on Meadow Lane.
But Pam Davies, who lives on Bachefield Avenue, believes the panels are something of an eyesore.
“We have gone from having an open, green outlook at the rear of our properties, to looking at what appears to be a vast concrete stadium,” she said.
“The land was originally a silk bed and drainage area for the water treatment works so was a popular feeding and nesting place for all kinds of wildlife including migrating Canada geese, which were a joy to watch as they landed and flew in formation on and off the field at various times.”
Pam also believes United Utilities did not adequately consults residents about the installation.
She said: “The development began almost as soon as the postcard-sized information came through our doors, giving us no time to raise our concerns.
“The plan shown on the map wasn’t drawn to scale, so didn’t give a true idea of what was in fact going to be installed.
“Once work started, we began to realise the full extent of what was going to be built and our concerns began to grow.”
United Utilities 'committed to using sustainable energy'
But a spokesman for United Utilities said they wrote to residents ahead of the work taking place and have since met with them to discuss any issues regarding its visual impact.
Planting around the panels will be undertaken, he said, to ‘disguise them as much as possible’.
“We’re committed to using sustainable energy at our sites in order to keep customers’ bills affordable, and to help us achieve our goal of 35% self-generated energy by 2020,” he added.
