// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Villagers fear losing quiet life to 'monstrosity' meat processing plant
Pickstock Telford said the site would employ about 90 staff once it was fully operational
Residents of a small south Scotland village say they fear losing their "quiet life" after work started on a £24m meat processing plant nearby.
The Pickstock Telford development at Ecclefechan promises about 90 jobs in a rural area as well as help to reduce 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".
But villagers remain concerned about the potential for traffic, odours, noise and pollution from the plant which should be up and running by 2029.
Dave Cooper retired to Ecclefechan from America looking for a "quiet life"
Dave Cooper, 60, spent the last 10 years in southern California before moving to the cooler climes 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 suffered from "heavy vehicles occasionally speeding down the main road" and he feared that could get worse.