Stop Calderdale Wind Farm - Save Walshaw Moor

‘Her native hills were far more to her than spectacle; they were what she lived in, and by, as much as the wild birds, their tenants, or as the heather, their produce.’

(Charlotte Bronte, writing about Emily Bronte in her 1850 Preface to Wuthering Heights)

‘Moors’ by Ted Hughes from Remains of Elmet, 1979. Published here with the support of the Ted Hughes Estate.

What we’re fighting against…

Click to zoom in to the map.

Scale diagram of 200 metre turbine in Blake Dean in Hardcastle Crags showing the impact on the landscape - one of three turbines proposed for this beauty spot

What we're fighting against

Environmental destruction and De-Wilding of Walshaw Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest - the Jewel in the Crown of Calderdale’s wildlife sites.

Irrevocable ecological damage to internationally important moorland habitats, including carbon-rich blanket bogs, and critically-endangered ground-nesting birds.

Industrialisation of the spectacular landscape of the Upper Calder Valley - by rights a National Park - and the desecration of the National Trust’s Hardcastle Crags and Crimsworth Dean.

Widespread disruption of popular footpath network, including Pennine Way, and transformation of Right to Roam public access land into a No Go Zone.

An affront to the globally-renowned literary and cultural heritage of Calderdale and Brontë Country - the landscape that inspired the Brontës and Ted Hughes.

A Hostile Act against the countryside, wildlife and people of Calderdale and Brontë Country by Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd.

Calderdale Wind Farm - A Hostile Act? Public Forum at Birchcliffe Centre, Hebden Bridge: Wed 15 May 2024 7.30pm. Click Here for Info

Love Walking? Please fill out our Walkers' Survey. Click here for Info

What is Calderdale Wind Farm?

The Scout on Widdop Moor. 6 turbines would run along this spectacular rocky outcrop above Widdop Reservoir

A Saudi-owned and Saudi-backed company calling itself Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd has announced a proposal to build the largest onshore wind farm in England on the Walshaw Moor Estate near Hebden Bridge in Calderdale. The development would consist of 65 turbines up to 200 metres tall (42 metres taller than the Blackpool Tower) covering more than 9 square miles of SSSI moorland and towering over the National Trust estate of Hardcastle Crags, Crimsworth Dean & Brontë Country.

The land is owned by multi-millionaire Lancashire businessman Richard Bannister, who plans to sell it to the developers if the scheme gets planning permission. Calderdale Wind Farm’s main partner, Worldwide Renewable Energy Global Ltd, is a one-man company run by Wiltshire property developer Christopher Wilson with Saudi backing. The scheme was not originated in Calderdale and, although marketed as a green energy project, would have disastrous environmental consequences locally, including increased risk of flooding in the Calder Valley.

Construction of this massive industrial development would cause irrevocable environmental damage to the internationally important moorland habitats and wildlife on Walshaw Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), intrude on hilltop views throughout the area and ruin the beautiful unspoilt countryside of the Upper Calder Valley and Brontë Country beloved by locals and visitors alike.

Where is Walshaw Moor?

Looking across Widdop Moor towards Dove Stones

The Walshaw Moor Estate consists of 9 square miles (2,352 hectares) of sensitive moorland in the stunningly beautiful Upper Calder Valley. An integral part of the South Pennine Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest, Walshaw Moor is internationally important for its blanket peat bogs, which provide a vital breeding habitat for endangered ground-nesting birds, including curlews, lapwings and golden plovers.

In addition to Walshaw Dean with its three reservoirs, Walshaw Moor encompasses Wadsworth Moor and Shackleton Moor directly above the National Trust estate of Hardcastle Crags and Crimsworth Dean. It also includes Widdop Moor above Widdop Reservoir, extending westwards to Boulsworth Hill in Lancashire and northwards to Stanbury and Haworth Moor in Brontë Country.

The Pennine Way runs right through the centre of Walshaw Moor connecting the iconic monument of Stoodley Pike to the equally iconic Top Withens (the ruined farmhouse said to be the inspiration for Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights). Many other popular footpaths and bridleways would be disrupted or blighted by the wind farm, turning Walshaw Moor from Right to Roam public access land into a No Go Zone.

A word from our Sponsors

Corinne the Curlew Speaks Out

“Call me a Nimby if you want but I actually live on Walshaw Moor so this really is my back yard!” Read more

Corinne the Curlew

“Thanks so much to the good people of the Calder Valley and Brontë Country for coming to our rescue. Peep peep!”

Gaia the Golden Plover

“We’ve been nesting on Walshaw Moor for generations. We love it here so please don’t drive us away!”

Larry the Lapwing

Tweet of the Day - Read our Bird Blog

Why Stop Calderdale Wind Farm?

Our Countryside and Wildlife