An Anglesey couple who’ve spent their lives caring for their five kids – three of whom have severe disabilities – are mounting a battle against a project they say could destroy their homes.
Stuart and Patricia Gresty built six homes in Rhoscoch for their family and hired 11 carers for round-the-clock support, they moved from Derbyshire to find the peace their children need. As 63 year olds, the Grestys had envisioned retiring in Rhosgoch. Yet, plans for two large-scale solar farms have turned their lives upside down.
The more extensive project, Maen Hir, threatens to encircle their bespoke respite property complex. Patricia is particularly distressed, telling North Wales Live: “Talk of the solar farm has blighted our lives for the last six months,” and goes on explaining, “Every morning, as soon as we get up, we start thinking about it.”
“Maybe Stuart and I could cope but it’s going to devastate our children. They cannot deal with change and they still have no clue what’s going on.” The contentious solar initiatives intend to spread across 3,700 acres of mainly farmland in northern Anglesey, making up about 2% of the island.
Maen Hir, significantly larger than any existing UK solar farm, poses a particular threat to the serenity of the Gresty household, reports Wales Online. Four plots of land have been earmarked for the project, with the Grestys’ home neighbouring one of them. Patricia said: “The panels will run up the side of our homes, they will run around the back of them.”
She continued: “We will be almost enveloped by black. It will destroy the freedoms our children currently have: one of our (disabled) sons has a garden which provides his own space where he listens to the birds for hours.” The couple’s children span in age from 11 to 45 years. The eldest, along with two aged 36 and 39, have profound learning difficulties.
When support services in Derbyshire became scarce, they hatched an intricate plan to move to Anglesey that would require significant self-sacrifice. For two years, Stuart worked solo to renovate a Rhosgoch farmhouse ready to kickstart the transition. All told, it took them 15 years to complete the move, wrapping up the last of five conversions just 18 months before Anglesey’s solar plans were announced.
During part of this period, Stuart and Pat lived in a static caravan while he toiled to finish more homes for their adult children. To fund the move in phases, they gradually sold three properties in Derbyshire where they and their children had resided. Stuart, once a factory worker packing Smiths crisps before turning into a full-time carer, said the renovation process was “very hard”.
He said: “I’d drive to Anglesey on Sunday night and work on the farmhouse for five days before heading back to Derbyshire on Friday night. For two years I saw little of my family. It was very hard.” He went on to express his distress about the proposed plans: “Now what’s being proposed is unthinkable.
“It will destroy everything Pat and I worked so hard towards. Having put so much effort into this move, it will break my heart.” Proposed by Lightsource bp, the Maen Hir solar farm is said to generate enough energy to power over 133,000 homes, which supersedes the number of homes in Anglesey, Gwynedd and Conwy.
The solar farm will not only provide significant amounts of clean energy but also promises to deliver broader benefits to the community including skills development, educational and employment opportunities; all while contributing to the UK’s net zero ambitions.
The deciding verdict for the large-scale Maen Hir project falls to the UK Government’s jurisdiction. In the meantime, public consultations are being performed to gauge opinion. Opposing voices have not gone unheard as demonstrated by a substantial six-hour protest and awareness session recently conducted in Llangefni.
Amongst the individuals distributing materials were the Gresty’s disabled offspring, who sadly did not grasp the import of their message. Patricia, founder of the Amlwch All Abilities group, which aims to provide more activities in the north of the island, spoke warmly about their eldest child, Shaun.
He’s a massive football enthusiast, ardently backing local teams in Amlwch, Cemaes and Llanerchymedd. She said: “They all know him. The three children have gained lots of friends on Anglesey. But they need a lot of structure. Each day they need to know what they are doing and what their eating plans are.
“They can’t cope with disruption. If this solar farm happens, there will be a lot of noise, traffic and visual deprivation. They won’t be able to cope.” Out of the five new homes Stuart constructed for his family, one was sold to clear the couple’s mortgage. The current owner, Carl, operates a holiday let from a converted garage.
“It’s always booked up.” Patricia noted. “Anglesey depends on tourism and as Carl is a builder, he needs the additional income to tide him over during the winter months when work is scarce. But who will visit if the countryside is covered in black panels?.” Adding to their troubles was a letter notifying them that their land could be subject to compulsory purchase if they refuse to allow cables to be laid across it.
Despite the solar project dominating their thoughts recently, the couple were surprised by the general lack of awareness on the island about the plans. A neighbour only recently grasped the full scale of the Maen Hir project, sparking worry for her housebound elderly mother.
The local political theatre seems trivial in the face of the development’s enormity, indicating that the ultimate decision rests not with Anglesey Council or the Welsh Government, but with the powers in Westminster. The situation has left the couple feeling abandoned. Patricia expressed her hopelessness: “It feels like it’s a done deal and we’ve been left on our own.”
She added: “It’s depressing and it gets us down.” Protesters may show resilience, but Stuart is acutely aware of the daunting challenge ahead, fearing uprooting his family. He shared: “We’ve spent a lot of money here. It’s not fair that they can come in and turn our lives upside down like this.”
He also highlighted the strain on the family: “It’s stressing us all. If we do have to move, there’s no way our homes will achieve market value if buyers know they’re going to be surrounded by solar panels. At the very least, they should be offering proper compensation for what they’re doing to us.”
