Objections to Calderdale Wind Farm
Stop Calderdale Wind Farm is a campaign against the proposal to build the largest onshore wind farm in England on the Walshaw Moor Estate Site of Special Scientific Interest near Hebden Bridge in Calderdale in West Yorkshire. We believe this massive industrial development consisting of 65 turbines up to 200 metres tall would be an environmental catastrophe for the countryside, wildlife, people and cultural heritage of Calderdale and Brontë Country. It would also have a detrimental impact further afield in both Yorkshire and Lancashire. Here are some of our key objections, with additional comments from local groups and national bodies who also oppose this scheme.
Many organisations, including local parish councils, have raised significant concerns in response to the Scoping Report submitted to Calderdale Council by the developer’s consultants, Natural Power, on behalf of Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd. These documents are publicly available on Calderdale Council’s Planning Portal. Although Calderdale Council issued their Scoping Response in December 2023, the Planning Department are still accepting submissions from consultees. These will inform the Environmental Impact Assessment that the developers have to produce as part of their Planning Application.
Inappropriate Location for Massive Industrial Development
In terms of scale the proposed Calderdale Wind Farm bears no relation to any existing wind farms in Calderdale or the rest of England. It is absolutely gigantic and would completely dominate the Upper Calder Valley, Brontë Country and the South Pennines. The 65 turbines that the developers are proposing to build on the Walshaw Moor Estate would be up to 200 metres tall - more than 40 metres taller than Blackpool Tower and more than 5 times the height of Stoodley Pike, an iconic local landmark visible for miles around. The closest comparison is to the vast off-shore wind farms far out at sea. The development would cover more than 9 square miles of environmentally-sensitive SSSI moorland, encompassing Walshaw Dean, Wadsworth Moor, Shackleton Moor and Widdop Moor. As the Countryside Charity (Council for the Protection of Rural England) have stated, this massive industrial development is ‘wholly inappropriate’ in this location, and there is no justification or necessity for situating it here. As well as dominating the Walshaw Moor Estate in its entirety, it would tower over the neighbouring National Trust estate of Hardcastle Crags, Crimsworth Dean and Widdop Reservoir. Extending from Stanbury Moor and Haworth Moor in the north to Boulsworth Hill in Lancashire, the wind farm would intrude on cherished and culturally important views throughout Calderdale and Brontë Country, including Stoodley Pike itself, Widdop Gate, Blake Dean and ‘the Crags’ at Hardcastle Crags, High Brown Knoll, Cock Hill and Haworth Old Road above Crimsworth Dean, Heptonstall Moor, Widdop Reservoir and Top Withens above Haworth.
Wholesale Destruction of SSSI Moorland Habitats and Wildlife
The moorland habitats and wildlife on the Walshaw Moor Estate are of national and international significance in terms of nature conservation, so it could hardly be more inappropriate as a choice of location for a huge wind farm. Not only is Walshaw Moor a key part of the South Pennine Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), it has even higher status as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in recognition of its blanket bog habitats, and as a Special Protection Area (SPA) because of the significance of its moorland birds. This means that it is protected at a European level as well as by UK law. All activities on the site are monitored and regulated by Natural England and any infringements are liable for prosecution. Furthermore, as the Upper Calderdale Wildlife Network have highlighted, Walshaw Moor is the Jewel in the Crown of Calderdale’s wildlife sites so it would be a disaster for the local area if it was destroyed. It is self-evident that building a huge wind farm in this location would cause irrevocable damage to the ecologically rich habitats on Walshaw Moor. It would also decimate the ground-nesting bird colonies which depend on these habitats for their survival, including critically-endangered species such as curlews, lapwings and golden plovers and rare birds of prey such as merlins and short-eared owls. As well as being disastrous for these particular species, there would be a catastrophic impact on biodiversity.
Irrevocable Environmental Damage to Blanket Peat Bogs
The Walshaw Moor Estate is designated by Natural England as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation in recognition of the diversity of its moorland habitats, with extensive areas of blanket bog on the upland plateaux punctuated by species-rich acidic flushes and mires, wet and dry heaths, heather moorland and acid grasslands. The blanket bogs on Walshaw Moor are extremely important for many reasons, not only in conservation terms as a vital habitat for wildlife, but because of their crucial role in carbon sequestration and flood prevention. Although under-appreciated in the past, it is now widely recognised that blanket peat bogs are as important as tropical rain forest in environmental terms. This is because the peat acts as a ‘carbon sink’ storing carbon in the ground and absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. According to Moors for the Future, ‘English peatlands are a significant carbon store, holding an estimated 584 million tonnes of carbon, equivalent to 2.14 billion tonnes of CO2 or approximately five years of England’s total annual carbon emissions.’ As the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have pointed out, excavating the peatland on Walshaw Moor would increase carbon dioxide emissions, thereby exacerbating climate change and negating any benefit of renewable energy generation. According to the RSPB, ‘a wind farm on Walshaw Moor is highly inappropriate, given the sensitivity of this location, with important peatland habitat, significant wildlife interest and protected wildlife sites.’
Ornithological Armageddon for the Birds of Walshaw Moor
The Walshaw Moor Estate is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for the conservation and protection of wild birds. The number, range and rarity of species on Walshaw Moor are of international importance. The vast scale of the proposed wind farm would result in the widespread eradication of the bird population on this site through the destruction of their vital moorland habitats. Ground-nesting birds would be particularly badly affected as it is this specific habitat in this specific location which draws these birds back to breed and rear their chicks each spring. The massive physical disruption caused by the engineering work during the construction period and the noise, motion and flicker of the turbines once operational would also deter birds from returning to their established breeding, foraging and hunting sites. By introducing a forest of turbines across their flight path, any birds which currently inhabit or visit Walshaw Moor would be at risk of being injured or killed, including birds passing through on migration. Threatened species include curlews, lapwings, golden plovers, skylarks, oystercatchers, redshanks and snipe, as well as rare birds of prey such as merlins and short-eared owls. The experience of watching and listening to these birds in their natural habitat is one of the great wonders of the natural world, as documented by renowned sound recordist Chris Watson in his BBC Radio 3 programme Voices in the Dark. Curlews, lapwings and golden plovers have disappeared from many parts of the UK but still thrive on Walshaw Moor. It makes no sense whatsoever to foster a proposal which threatens Ornithological Armageddon on our doorstep to the very birds that conservationists in other parts of the country are fighting to save.
Increased Risk of Flooding in the Calder Valley
As well as storing carbon, the blanket bogs on Walshaw Moor play another vital environmental role as the peat acts like a giant sponge storing vast quantities of water. Damaging the peatland on such a massive scale during the construction of the wind farm would significantly reduce its ability to hold water. Surfacing large areas of the moor with concrete and crushed stone will further reduce its permeability and inevitably increase water run off, thereby heightening the risk of flooding in Calderdale. Walshaw Moor is one of the main catchment areas for the flood-prone Calder Valley. Alcomden Water carries water from Walshaw Dean to Hardcastle Crags, merging with Graining Water in Blake Dean to form Hebden Water, then merging with Crimsworth Dean Beck at Midgehole before flowing down to join the River Calder in Hebden Bridge. If the blanket peat bogs on Walshaw Moor can no longer hold the same volume of water, the sudden increases in river levels during heavy rainfall will be accentuated, which could lead to disastrous flooding downstream. So the proposed Calderdale Wind Farm would not only reap destruction on the precious habitats and wildlife on Walshaw Moor, it could potentially have a catastrophic impact on Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd, as well as communities downstream in the Calder Valley, including Luddendenfoot and Sowerby Bridge. Knowing the devastating impact that flooding has had in Calderdale in recent years, and given the millions of pounds spent on reparation work and flood prevention schemes, it would be an act of extraordinary folly on the part of Calderdale Council to support a development that places the residents of the Calder Valley in jeopardy.
Physical and Environmental Impact of Huge Construction Project
Constructing 65 gigantic turbines on 9 square miles of blanket peat bog will require extensive excavation and literally thousands of lorry loads of concrete and crushed stone. Transporting the turbines and construction materials on Calderdale’s notoriously steep, narrow, windy roads will be hugely disruptive to the local community and extremely dangerous, a logistical and safety nightmare. In addition to the concrete foundations, each turbine will require crane pads, 6 metre-wide access tracks and cable runs potentially up to 40 metres wide. New site access roads will be need to be constructed and huge ‘borrow pits’ (in other words, quarries) are also proposed. The developers are also proposing to cover large swathes of moorland with solar panels. Walshaw Moor SSSI would be literally torn to pieces during the lengthy construction process. Decommissioning would be equally damaging. Walshaw Moor would never recover and will be left as an industrial wasteland. As well as the catastrophic physical impact on the site itself, the carbon footprint of this massive construction project is enormous in its own right. The massive environmental damage inflicted on the landscape, combined with the indirect collateral damage caused by the development, far outweigh any purported benefits, especially given that the wind farm’s lifespan may be as short as 25 years.
Disregard for Special Landscape Character of the Upper Calder Valley
The dramatic landscape of the Upper Calder Valley is some of the most spectacular in the UK. By rights this stunning area should be a National Park as it is of equal visual quality and geographical significance to the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Peak District National Park, both less than 20 miles away. In aesthetic and geological terms it is also on a par with nearby Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including Nidderdale in North Yorkshire and the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire. It is only as a result of post-war prejudice against what was then perceived as an ‘industrial area’ (now celebrated for its industrial heritage) that the Upper Calder Valley was omitted when the National Parks were created during the 1950s. This unfortunate historical oversight urgently needs to be rectified. If the Upper Calder Valley was part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park it would automatically be protected from wind farm developments.
Calderdale Council have recognised the environmental, visual and cultural significance of Walshaw Moor and the neighbouring valleys of Hardcastle Crags and Crimsworth Dean by designating them as Special Landscape Areas in the Calderdale Local Plan. The Local Plan clearly indicates that these areas are not suitable for large-scale industrial developments of this kind because of the quality of the landscape. The beautiful countryside and rich wildlife of the Upper Calder Valley are a priceless asset to Calderdale - the southernmost of the Yorkshire Dales - and an invaluable public amenity and recreational resource for the local community. They are also a major tourist attraction and one of the primary reasons why people visit this area. It would be completely counter-productive for Calderdale Council to approve a development that would damage this unique and irreplaceable asset, or to collude in the destruction of the distinctive landscape that defines the very identity of Calderdale.
Policy GN4 of the Calderdale Local Plan (Section 23) states the following: ‘I. Proposals for development within or affecting the Special Landscape Area (SLA) or its setting should be carefully designed to ensure they are in keeping with their location in the SLA in terms of density, height, massing, scale, form, siting and materials. II. Proposals for development within or affecting the Special Landscape Area (SLA) will only be supported if the proposal: a. Does not adversely affect the scenic quality of the SLA. Consideration should be taken to protecting important and distinctive views, and protecting remoteness and tranquillity. b. Does not adversely affect opportunities for access and recreation, and c. Protects and enhances landscape quality, sense of place and local distinctiveness, including retention and enhancement of features and habitats of significant landscape, historic, ecological and wildlife importance. III. In determining whether a proposed development may affect the SLA, consideration will be given to how the proposed development may impact its setting. Proposals should preserve or enhance those elements that contribute to the SLA’s significance, and development which will adversely affect the setting of the SLA resulting in harm to the significance of the SLA will not be supported.’
Negative Cumulative Impact of Multiple Wind Farms
The visual character of Calderdale’s upland landscape is defined by the smooth contours of the rolling Pennine hills. Turbines are on intrusion on the skyline and radically altered the perception of the landscape . The cumulative impact of multiple wind farms is having an increasingly negative impact in Calderdale, cluttering the uplands with visually disruptive and distracting vertical structures and giving the countryside an industrial feel. Todmorden is now virtually encircled by turbines, and wind farms are visible in almost every direction from Stoodley Pike. Walshaw Moor is one of the last unspoilt upland areas in the Upper Calder Valley. The South Pennines Wind Energy Study produced by Julie Martin Associates highlights the dangers of allowing this to happen. If this huge development is permitted, gargantuan wind turbines will completely dominate the horizons and destroy the distinctive character of the Pennine hills. Developments of this kind on Walshaw Moor SSSI are specifically ruled out in the Calderdale Local Plan, which includes a map clearly showing that turbines should not be located in parts of the borough classified as Special Landscape Areas and/or SSSIs.
Given that there are already a plethora of wind farms on the hilltops in and around Calderdale, it is clear that this part of the country is already making a significant contribution to renewable energy generation. It is worth pointing out that the distribution of on-shore wind farms across the UK is extremely unequal, with certain areas such as the South Pennines being cynically targeted by developers simply because they are more vulnerable to exploitation, even though there are suitable sites in other parts of the UK. There are very few wind farms in the Midlands or the South of England, for example, whereas there is already a high concentration in and around Calderdale. There is absolutely no necessity to build a wind farm on Walshaw Moor and no justification for desecrating and industrialising this visually stunning and environmentally sensitive area
Deterrent to Walkers - Turning Right to Roam into No Go Zone
The hills and dales of the Upper Calder Valley are beloved by locals and visitors alike. Walkers flock to the National Trust estate of Hardcastle Crags and Crimsworth Dean - the two beautiful valleys neighbouring Walshaw Moor - both of which would be blighted by the wind farm. Rows of turbines would tower over both valleys, hemming them in at either end, including the popular picnic spots of Blake Dean in Hardcastle Crags and Grain Water in Crimsworth Dean. The network of footpaths and bridleways connecting these valleys with the surrounding moorland would be seriously disrupted, and breathtaking vistas that people love to gaze at and photograph would be completely ruined. Widdop Reservoir would also be radically affected, with a row of turbines perched on the dramatic rocky outcrop of The Scout on Widdop Moor directly opposite Cludders Rock. The vast expanse of heather moorland on Widdop Moor itself would be invaded by a forest of turbines blocking the view of Dove Stones, another prominent geological feature. Wadsworth Moor and Shackleton Moor would also be turned into an industrial wasteland, littered with gargantuan turbines. The noise would be deafening and would carry for miles around, another deterrent for walkers. The reality is that, if the wind farm goes ahead, the entire Walshaw Moor Estate covering 9 square miles will be transformed from Right to Roam public access land into a No Go Zone.
Until now hikers have relished in the experience of striding over the wild Brontë moors to Top Withens on the Pennine Way, which runs right through the heart of Walshaw Dean by the three reservoirs. Once construction work begins, this iconic National Trail and many other footpaths, such as the popular Hebden Bridge to Haworth track through Crimsworth Dean, will be completely spoilt. The Pennine Way itself, as well as other well-established rights of way, will probably be diverted. All these routes and the interconnecting footpaths linking Walshaw Moor to Hardcastle Crags and Crimsworth Dean will be badly affected by the wind farm. Other parts of the Pennine Way, as well as the Pennine Bridleway and the Calderdale Way, will also be significantly impacted as the huge turbines will be visible from hilltops throughout the area, including Stoodley Pike, Heptonstall Moor and High Brown Knoll. This intrusive industrial development will completely ruin people’s enjoyment of the Brontë Moors and Calderdale’s spectacular and varied countryside – our natural heritage - the landscape that inspired the Brontës and Ted Hughes.
In a Walkers’ Survey carried out during May and June 2024, local walkers resoundingly rejected the proposed Wind Farm on Walshaw Moor. 92% of respondents stated that they objected to the development, citing the industrialisation of the unspoilt rural landscape (93%) and the destruction of birds, wildlife and moorland habitats (84%) as their primary concerns. The survey, which was circulated at a Public Forum about the Wind Farm held at the Birchcliffe Centre in Hebden Bridge on 15 May 2024 and also promoted online via www.stopcalderdalewindfarm.co.uk, asked people about their current walking habits and preferences, and canvased their views on whether the Wind Farm would have a deterrent effect.
Hardcastle Crags and the adjoining Walshaw Moor Estate were the two most popular destinations for local walkers. 96% of respondents had visited Hardcastle Crags and 88% had been walking on Walshaw Moor within the last 12 months. Crimsworth Dean was another popular destination, along with Widdop Moor and Widdop Reservoir, both recently visited by 78% of the walkers in the survey. Several other iconic hilltop locations in Calderdale and Bronte Country looking directly onto the proposed turbine site on Walshaw Moor were also firm favourites with walkers, notably Top Withens, Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike. The Pennine Way, which runs right through the centre of Walshaw Dean, was singled out as one of the most popular local footpaths, with 91% of walkers having used it over the last year. The extensive network of trails running through and around Hardcastle Crags also scored highly at 90%, as did the footpaths through Crimsworth Dean, including the Hebden Bridge to Haworth Walk which crosses the Walshaw Moor Estate. Topping the popularity stakes at 95% was the Calderdale Way, a well-established long-distance footpath which loops round the Calderdale Valley and has many views towards Walshaw Moor along its 50-mile length.
98% of respondents cited hilltop vistas as the most distinctive feature of Calderdale’s countryside, along with its striking landscape (96%). Also highly valued by 95% of local walkers were the moorland birds and wildlife, the peace and tranquillity of the countryside and sense of wildness on the moors. The intrusive impact of large numbers of very tall wind turbines on the landscape were identified as key concerns by 77% of respondents. As well as deterring people from walking across Walshaw Moor itself, respondents also said they would be deterred from visiting the area by turbines sited above or near Hardcastle Crags and Crimsworth Dean (81%) or Top Withens, Haworth and Brontë Country (78%).
The survey clearly demonstrates that local walkers believe that the proposed Wind Farm would have an extremely negative impact on Calderdale’s greatest natural assets: its landscape, countryside and wildlife. As well as deterring walkers from the local community who treasure this resource, the construction of the wind farm would have a significant deterrent effect on visitors from further afield currently attracted to this area specifically because of its unique landscape and wildlife. To read full results, click here.
Wilful Destruction of our Literary and Cultural Heritage
Walshaw Moor lies in the heart of a landscape with internationally renowned literary associations, most famously the Brontë sisters - Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë - who evoked the stark beauty of this moorland landscape so powerfully in their work. Their walks over the moors from their home in Haworth inspired some of the greatest novels and poetry in the English language, including Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The Brontë Parsonage Museum, run by the Brontë Society, attracts visitors from all over the world, many of whom make a pilgrimage to Top Withens, the ruined farmhouse indelibly associated with Wuthering Heights. If the wind farm goes ahead, turbines will loom over Top Withens and the popular footpath known as the Brontë Way. Brontë Country will be indelibly scarred and the wild character of the Brontë moors that inspired this remarkable trio of writers will be extinguished forever. The damage to Yorkshire’s literary heritage and cultural prestige would be immeasurable and the impact on local tourism would be enormous. Would this happen in Stratford-upon-Avon? And what sort of message does this send to the rest of world? The Brontë Society and Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council have both voiced serious objections. Read ‘Wuthering Frights’ article opposing Calderdale Wind Farm in The Brontë Society Gazette.
Mytholmroyd-born Poet Laureate Ted Hughes (1930-1998) is another towering literary figure whose work is celebrated around the globe. Hughes’s writing was deeply inspired by the landscape and wildlife of the Calder Valley and he retained close connections with the area throughout his life. His poetry is studied in schools and universities throughout the country and his legacy is celebrated through the Elmet Trust, the Ted Hughes Network, the Ted Hughes Society and the Arvon Foundation at Lumb Bank near Heptonstall. Hughes wrote powerfully about the area in his book Remains of Elmet (1979), illustrated with iconic photographs by Fay Godwin. Hardcastle Crags, Crimsworth Dean, Widdop and Walshaw Moor all feature prominently in this work, so if the wind farm goes ahead it is not only Calderdale’s precious landscape that will be destroyed but the literary heritage of one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. If Ted Hughes and the Brontës were alive today, they would be leading the campaign to stop Calderdale Wind Farm.
The Ted Hughes Estate are strongly opposed to the wind farm and have kindly offered to support our campaign by kindly permitting us to reprint nine poems from Remains of Elmet on this website. Two are included below. Others can be found elsewhere on this website, including on our Supporters page, which also includes detailed objections from the Ted Hughes Network, the Ted Hughes Society and the Elmet Trust.
The Upper Calder Valley is also the final resting place of Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), one of the most celebrated and influential poets of the post-war era, whose grave in Heptonstall is a place of pilgrimage for Plath fans from around the world. As her biographer Heather Clark has pointed out: ‘Sylvia Plath first visited the area shortly after her marriage to Ted Hughes and responded to the landscape in her own unique way as they walked in Hardcastle Crags and over Walshaw Moor to Top Withens. She wrote several poems about the moors, which she loved. The literary legacies of the Brontës, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath are all indelibly intertwined - with each other and with this landscape - and they will all be irrevocably damaged if this landscape is desecrated.’
‘Two Trees at Top Withens’ by Ted Hughes from Remains of Elmet, 1979. Published here with the support of the Ted Hughes Estate.
‘Alcomden’ by Ted Hughes from Remains of Elmet, 1979.
All poems from Collected Poems by Ted Hughes are copyright (c) the Estate of Ted Hughes. Reprinted here by permission of the Ted Hughes Estate and Faber and Faber Ltd. All rights reserved.
Alcomden at Blake Dean in Hardcastle Crags, and Top Withens on Haworth Moor (pictured below) would both be blighted by turbines.
