Harry Potter fans force diversion of UK-Ireland power link to avoid 'Dobby's grave'
A multimillion-pound power cable project between the UK and Ireland was rerouted after Harry Potter fans complained it would disturb a memorial to the fictional character Dobby. The project manager confirmed the change was made to avoid the site at Freshwater West beach following hundreds of public complaints.
Why it matters
It highlights the growing influence of pop culture fandoms on infrastructure planning and public project management.
Image caption, A tribute to Dobby sits above National Trust-run Freshwater West beach
Harry Potter fans succeeded in diverting a multimillion-pound power link between the UK and Ireland after they complained it would disturb a "memorial" to Dobby the House Elf.
The £430m Greenlink interconnector links the National Grid to Ireland via 125-mile cable between County Wexford and Freshwater West, a beach in Pembrokeshire where the death of fictional character Dobby was filmed in the Potter films.
Project manager Simon Ludlam told the Energy Revolution podcast the cable was originally "going to go straight through" the tribute, before fans began leaving his firm "hundreds of calls".
"Actually we went quite close to some real Bronze Age remains, but we avoided Dobby's grave," he said.
Image source, Alamy/Warner Bros Image caption, Dobby was one of the most popular characters in the Harry Potter franchise
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