The Greenlink interconnector project, which connects the UK National Grid to Ireland via a 125-mile underwater cable, faced significant public pressure to alter its planned route after fans of the Harry Potter series learned it would pass through the site where fictional character Dobby is memorialized.
Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales served as the filming location for Dobby’s burial scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Visitors to the ecologically sensitive site regularly leave stones with the inscription “Here Lies Dobby” as a tribute, despite requests from the National Trust, which owns the land, to refrain from such activities.
Project manager Simon Ludlam revealed that public awareness of the cable’s route intensified following a BBC interview in which he indicated where the interconnector would make landfall at Freshwater West. The disclosure prompted hundreds of calls to the company from concerned fans objecting to the planned path through the site. Ludlam stated he was initially unfamiliar with the fictional character and expressed skepticism about the nature of the complaints, only recognizing the seriousness of the situation after consulting with colleagues.
In response to the public outcry, the project’s planners identified an alternative route that bypassed the commemorative location. Ludlam noted that the revised path came close to Bronze Age archaeological remains, including burial urns associated with human interment, but ultimately avoided both the fictional grave and these historical sites. The rerouted project subsequently moved forward with stakeholder support.
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