Friday, 6 February 2026
Walshaw Windfarm proposals scaled back - Turbines cut to 34
- The fight goes on say campaigners
Stop Calderdale Wind Farm campaigners believe they are winning the battle against Calderdale Energy Park (previously known as Calderdale Wind Farm).
In a presentation to Parish Councils on 2 February 2026, the developers (Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd) revealed that they have scaled back their plans for the second time. Their original proposal in September 2023 was for 65 turbines, reduced to 41 in April 2025. In response to widespread criticism and public opposition, the number of turbines has now been slashed to 34.
The timescale for the project has also slipped, suggesting that the developers are on the back foot. The Statutory Public Consultation previously scheduled for January has now been put back to April 2026.
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.
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.
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 will be included 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.
Stop Calderdale Wind Farm campaigners, who have been challenging the proposals since they were first announced, are adamant that the fight is far from over. 'The developers are clearly on the defensive, but the latest proposals would still be incredibly damaging to the carbon-rich blanket peat bogs on Walshaw Moor SSSI and the endangered ground-nesting birds which breed on this internationally important Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA).
If Calderdale Energy Park goes ahead, even in a reduced form, it would still be an environmental disaster for the countryside, wildlife, cultural heritage and people of Calderdale and Brontë Country.'
Two wind farm surveys carried out recently by Wadsworth Parish Council and Hebden Royd Town Council have confirmed that an overwhelming majority of local residents are opposed to Calderdale Energy Park: 93% in the case of Wadsworth (where the wind farm would be sited) and 86% in the case of Hebden Royd.
In addition to Stop Calderdale Wind Farm, opposition groups include Stop Calderdale Energy Park, Walshaw Turbines Research Group, Upper Calderdale Wildlife Network, Save and Restore Walshaw Moor, Peatland Alliance and For Peat's Sake.
Wadsworth Parish Council Chair, Cllr Jon Kimber, said, "The collaboration of joint parishes had a positive meeting with representatives from Calderdale Energy Park where they shared their revised proposals for the development on Walshaw Moor. They are duty bound to consult with the local community during the Development Consent Order application process, and I was grateful to them for explaining their new plans in person and answering many questions.
"I very much doubt however that the changes to the plans will fundamentally alter the main objections to the development or change the overwhelming groundswell of opposition to the scheme.
"Calderdale Energy Park have now agreed to meet with us on a bimonthly basis throughout the year, and I very much welcome this as there are still many aspects yet to be confirmed."
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.
"But it's not just about the climate crisis - we're in the middle of a nature crisis too. And there must be limits to the destruction of irreplaceable blanket bog that the Secretary of State can allow, when there is plenty of wind on mineral soil locations, with no irreplaceable habitats at risk."
Useful links:
- Stop Calderdale Energy Park:
- Latest proposals for Calderdale Energy Park
- Peatland Alliance response to revised Calderdale Energy Park proposal
- Walshaw Turbines Research Group
- Save and Restore Walshaw Moor
- Calderdale wind developer: Calderdale Energy Park
- Guardian: What do Saudi developers know of Heathcliff? Brontë country up in arms over windfarm plan (Jan 2024)
On the HebWeb
Walshaw Windfarm proposals scaled back - Turbines cut to 34
HebWeb News: Windfarm survey results: 90% against (Dec 2025)
HebWeb News: Calder Valley MP has "lost his way" on how to protect Walshaw Moor (Nov 2025)
HebWeb Forum: Windfarms on protected peatland
HebWeb Forum: Calderdale Wind Farm (May- June 2025)
HebWeb News: Legal challenge to massive windfarm proposal (June 25)
HebWeb News: Report: Walshaw Windfarm community assembly
HebWeb Forum: Large Windfarm proposal (Oct 24 - Feb 25)