Support the RSPB’s Campaign to Protect Peatlands like Walshaw Moor - Send a letter to your MP objecting to the Fingleton Review
The Fingleton Review, endorsed by the Prime Minister, proposes significant amendments to the Habitats Regulations, which could allow developers to bypass environmental assessments and go directly to compensation without knowing the full impact on nature. This review has raised concerns about its potential to damage nature and the UK's commitment to environmental protection. The RSPB and other environmental organizations are actively working to raise awareness and oppose these recommendations, emphasizing the need to protect nature and wildlife from development pressures.
The RSPB have drafted a standard letter that members of the public can send to their MP raising concerns about this issue, which has a direct bearing on Calderdale Energy Park’s proposals for a wind farm on Walshaw Moor. To sign a customised version of the RSPB’s letter, please follow this link.
Support Local Campaign Groups opposed to Calderdale Energy Park
There is growing opposition to Calderdale Energy Park / Calderdale Wind Farm on Facebook and other online platforms. Follow the links below to connect with various independently-run local campaign groups, websites, podcasts and blogs. You can voice your objections to the wind farm directly on the Calderdale Wind Farm Action Facebook Group and Hebweb.
For Peat’s Sake is a local campaign group opposed to Calderdale Energy Park. Volunteers welcome. Click here for leaflet
Sign Parliamentary Petition to amend the Planning & Infrastructure Bill to ban wind farms on protected peatland
This petition asks the government to amend its Planning & Infrastructure Bill to:
1. Ban wind farms on peatland in the National Site Network and SSSIs in England
2. Require the restoration to good conservation status of peatland’s interlinked mosaic of habitats, including irreplaceable blanket bog.
‘These amendments are needed to protect peatland’s ecological integrity: benefiting climate, biodiversity, water quality and flood risk mitigation. New energy policy statements increase safeguards for peatland, but aren't enough, and still greenlight development on shallower peat - which science warns against. There are concerns that the Secretary of State may ignore potential damage to protected sites and approve “Critical National Priority” windfarms on peatland subject to “compensation” - which we believe is impossible in a near timeframe.’
Click here to sign this Parliamentary Petition
Deadline 13 April 2026
Councillor Scott Burrows and Peatland Alliance call on Calderdale Council to reject Calderdale Energy Park’s flawed Statutory Public Consultation
Read email to Calderdale Council from Councillor Scott Burrows, Hebden Royd Town Council
Read Press Release from Peatland Alliance
Calderdale Energy Park, the development team behind the unpopular Walshaw Moor windfarm proposal, have told Parish Councillors that they have been forced to delay the legally-required consultation on the proposed development. The statutory community consultation should have been underway by now, but the team have had to reschedule it to April-June this year. Before it can go ahead, Calderdale Energy Park have to clear their consultation plans with Calderdale Council and the other affected local authorities. This process is currently underway and ends on 20th February 2026.
The Calderdale Energy Park team acknowledged that their consultation plans - known as the Statement of Community Consultation - omit to inform Calderdale Council about the preliminary environmental information that they will include in the statutory consultation. They admitted they have had to do a lot of unexpected extra work, as a result of Planning Inspectorate criticisms last October. These centred on the developer’s inadequate environmental surveys of the highly protected moorland site and the design of the wind farm and battery energy storage system.
Changes to the proposed Calderdale Energy Park include:
• The number of wind turbines has been reduced from 41 to 34.
• The proposed Battery Energy Storage System has gone.
• The installed capacity of the proposed windfarm has reduced from 300MW to around 240MW. • A cable corridor is planned to connect the onsite substation to the Bradford West substation – but the National Energy System Operator hasn’t yet approved the connection.
• The ”proposed investment into Calderdale” has reduced from £500m to £274m – although it is unlikely that most of this investment would actually be made in Calderdale.
In the absence of an ecologist, the Calderdale Energy Park team were unable to give the parish council meeting clear answers about the extra environmental baseline survey work they've undertaken since October, in response to Planning Inspectorate criticisms. These surveys are crucial in creating an accurate picture of the protected peatland’s habitats, hydrology, birds and other wildlife, so as to see if it’s possible for the windfarm to avoid damaging their integrity. Peatland Alliance campaigners, who say protected peatland is the wrong place for a windfarm, are asking Calderdale Council and the other local authorities to tell the wind farm developer that their Statement of Community Consultation needs to include Preliminary Environmental Information about the extra survey work.
Parish councillors have asked Calderdale Energy Park to extend the statutory consultation to 12 weeks, as the 6 week non-statutory consultation last spring had not given people enough time to respond properly. The windfarm's planning consultant responded that if Calderdale Council told them they wanted this, they would bear it in mind. But they did not want to delay the consultation further, because this would push back their November 2026 submission of the Development Consent Order - already postponed from June 2026.
Wadsworth Parish Councillor Jon Kimber said afterwards, “I am disappointed that the proposed timetable for the Statutory Consultation falls at the same time as the local elections in May, and I hope that this can be delayed in order to allow the council to comment fully on the revised proposal.”
Members of the public and Parish Councillors are now asking Calderdale Council and the other local authorities to tell Calderdale Energy Park that their Statement of Community Consultation should:
• Outline the Preliminary Enviromental Information which will be part of the Statutory Consultation
• Propose a 12 week statutory consultation
• Delay the consultation to avoid the 7th May Council Elections, and to allow completion of baseline environmental surveys of Walshaw Moor’s highly-protected, irreplaceable blanket bog and other peatland habitats, its hydrology, and the protected bird assemblage and wildlife it supports.
Peatland Alliance campaigner Jenny Shepherd said, “Why are Calderdale Energy Park in such a rush to submit their Development Consent Order application in November this year? Surely it’s better to take the time to show Calderdale Council they've done all the environmental baseline surveys properly, so the statutory consultation can give everyone the information needed to form an intelligent opinion about the damage the windfarm would cause? We know that they know they are going to damage the integrity of the moor and the bird assemblages. Because they admit they'll ask the Secretary of State to derogate the Habitats Regulations, that make it illegal to cause such damage. Calderdale Energy Park seem to think that because the windfarm is Critical National Priority infrastructure for Net Zero, that gives their application a presumption of consent, regardless.”
Hebden Royd Town Council Survey Results - 86% Opposed to Calderdale Energy Park
During September - October 2025 Hebden Royd Town Council carried out an online survey about attitudes towards the proposed Calderdale Energy Park. This survey, which included responses from residents of Hebden Bridge as well as the surrounding Hilltop Parishes, was initiated independently by Hebden Royd Town Council and was not part of the public consultation by Calderdale Energy Park’s developers, Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd, in June 2025. It followed on from a similar survey by Wadsworth Parish Council in April - May 2025 for residents of Wadsworth Parish (the area in which the proposed Calderdale Energy Park would be sited), the results of which were published in June 2025 (see below).
The results of the Hebden Royd Town Council Wind Farm Survey, announced on 12 December 2025, confirmed that 86% of the respondents were opposed to the development.
For full details of the Hebden Royd Wind Farm Survey Results, click here
The primary concerns about Calderdale Energy Park’s proposals were:
- Disturbance / destruction of peat and associated carbon dioxide emissions (83%)
- That the site is an Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (81%)
- Impact on natural habitats and the biodiversity of the site (81%)
- Impact of water run-off and flood risk (75%)
- The visual impact on the landscape (38%)
Hebden Royd Town Council stated in their Conclusion:
“The response to this survey shows that a clear majority of respondents within Hebden Royd are opposed to the Calderdale Energy Park proposal. This provides Hebden Royd Town Council a clear mandate in representing the views of the community on the topic.”
Cllr. Steve Woodhead, Chair of Hebden Royd Town Council Local Environment and Climate Committee observed:
“Overall, the majority opinion is clear: people value renewable energy but believe this proposal represents the right idea in the wrong place.”
Wadsworth Parish Council’s Wind Farm Survey - 93% Opposed
During April-May 2025 Wadsworth Parish Council conducted a survey with local residents about attitudes towards the proposed Calderdale Energy Park. This survey was initiated independently by Wadsworth Parish Council and was not part of the public consultation by the developers, Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd, announced on 28 April.
The results of the survey, announced at the end of June 2025, confirmed that 93% of Wadsworth residents were opposed to the development. The primary concerns were destruction of moorland habitats and wildlife (61%) and increased flood risk and destruction of peat (58%).
For a full list of the results, click here
Jon Kimber, Chair of Wadsworth Parish Council, stated:
‘Wadsworth Parish Council conducted a survey of Wadsworth Parishioners in the spring to determine attitudes to renewable energy in general and opinions about the proposed development on Walshaw Moor specifically. In developing that survey we were particularly careful to avoid any form of bias in the questioning, to avoid being accused of asking leading questions. The survey revealed that 93% of parishioners who responded were opposed to the development. As a result the Parish Council felt that we had a mandate to formally oppose the windfarm development and resolved to do that unanimously at the May Parish Council meeting.’
‘In terms of Calderdale Energy Park 93% of respondents were against the development with 82% being totally against it. 8 out of 10 people who oppose the windfarm cited either potential risk of flooding or adverse effects on the natural environment as reasons for objection.’
Mass Wuther on Penistone Hill, Haworth, 27 July 2025
Article in The Times, 22 June 2025
‘Out on the wily, windy moors above Haworth in West Yorkshire, hundreds of Kate Bush enthusiasts are to gather — to protest against plans for England’s biggest wind farm.’
‘An annual event billed as “The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever” is taking place on Sunday, July 27, on Penistone Hill, above the village where Emily Brontë lived with her sisters, Charlotte and Anne, two centuries ago.’
‘Known as a “mass wuther”, it will feature more than 500 people dressed in red dresses and flowing black wigs simultaneously performing the musical legend Kate Bush’s ethereal choreography from the video for her 1978 debut hit Wuthering Heights…’
Calderdale Wind Farm rebrands itself as Calderdale Energy Park
Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd has cynically rebranded itself as Calderdale Energy Park and issued revised proposals for a huge industrial-scale wind farm on the Walshaw Moor Estate on 28 April 2025. The new plan is for 41 turbines 200 metre tall instead of 65. See revised layout proposals in diagram below. The revised proposals are still extremely damaging to the habitats and wildlife on Walshaw Moor, which is not only a Site of Special Scientific Interest, but also a Special Area of Conservation for its blanket peat bogs and a Special Protection Area for its ground-nesting birds.
With no advance notice, the developers held a 6-week non-statutory ‘Public Consultation’ from 29 April - 10 June 2025 (now closed). The legality of this ‘Consultation’ has been challenged by the Walshaw Turbines Research Group. For further information, click here.
To raise your concerns about the revised proposals and about the consultation, email: info@calderdaleenergypark.co.uk
Download and Share Campaign Leaflet
Share Open Letter to Minister for Energy Security & Net Zero from UCWN
Re. Proposals for an onshore wind farm on Walshaw Moor
I am a member of the Upper Calderdale Wildlife Network, and we are hugely concerned about the damage that this massive industrial scheme would have on our nationally and internationally protected moorland habitats. Walshaw Moor and its environs are protected by a raft of designations:
· SPA (South Pennine Moors Phase 2 Special Protection Area)
· SAC (South Pennine Moors Special Area of Conservation)
· SSSI (South Pennine Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest).
Our group recognises that we must embrace renewable energy to combat the terrible consequences of climate change, but we know that this development is proposed in the wrong place. Building the wind farm here would be catastrophic for nature, exacerbate already very serious local flooding, destroy the precious sense of wilderness and result in the destruction of vast areas of protected peatland habitat. This special landscape is important both to local people and those far and wide through association with the great literature of writers such as Ted Hughes and the Bronte sisters. Read more
Learn more about the Birds of Walshaw Moor
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Curlew
Sign Up to our Mailing List for Campaign Updates
Join our mailing list to receive campaign updates and find out how you can get involved.
Once you’ve signed up you can send us your comments and let us know what you’re doing to Stop Calderdale Wind Farm so that we can highlight other initiatives. Press & media enquiries welcome.
Email your Objections to your local MP
Josh Fenton Glynn - Labour MP for Calder Valley: josh.fentonglynn.mp@parliament.uk
Kate Dearden - Labour MP for Halifax: kate.dearden.mp@parliament.uk
Robbie Moore - Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley: robbie.moore.mp@parliament.uk
Jonathan Hinder - Labour MP for Pendle and Clitheroe: jonathan.hinder.mp@parliament.uk
Oliver Ryan - Independent MP for Burnley:
Download and Share Stop Calderdale Wind Farm campaign leaflet
Calderdale Wind Farm is a Hostile Act against the countryside, wildlife and people of Calderdale and Brontë Country. This is our message to the developers, Calderdale Council and the Government.
The original Stop Calderdale Wind Farm campaign leaflet launched in January 2024 contains key information about the proposed development and outlines the main objections. This leaflet was widely distributed in Calderdale but the information is still relevant so please continue to circulate it by email, whatsapp and social media to your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. Print it out and display it in your window or distribute it in your area. Many local people are still unaware of the wind farm or don’t understand its implications, so it’s vital to continue to spread the word.
Object to Calderdale Council
Calderdale Council have already processed the preliminary application for Calderdale Wind Farm known as Scoping Report. As things stand at the moment, the Council would be responsible for deciding the outcome of a planning application. The wind farm is unlikely to be approved without community support so it’s worth objecting now to stop it going ahead. Send a letter by post and ask the Council to keep it on file. Full details are on the objection letter template below. You’ll need to object again later when the planning application appears. Calderdale Council have to record all objections. Every single objection counts.
Lobby your Parish or Town Council
Some Parish Councils, such as Wadsworth, have responded to the developer’s Scoping Report but many others weren’t consulted, including Hebden Royd Town Council, Todmorden Town Council, Oxenhope Village Council and Haworth Parish Council. We believe that every Parish Council in Calderdale and the neighbouring Boroughs ought to be consulted about this important issue. Calderdale Council have agreed to continue accepting submissions so please lobby your Parish Council or Town Council to respond.
Track the Planning Application
Click on the link below to visit Calderdale Council’s Planning Portal. Search on Walshaw Moor to access information about the Calderdale Wind Farm proposal. On the Planning Portal you can read consultee responses to the developer’s Scoping Report and register to track the application going forward. Click on the button below to download Calderdale Council’s Scoping Response. This includes important information about what the developers must include in the Environmental Impact Assessment in their Planning Application.
