Tuesday, 9 June 2026
With thanks to the Stop Calderdale Wind Farm group for this update
Last 24 Hours of Public Consultation on Calderdale Energy Park
Closes at Midnight on Wednesday 10 June
Time is running out to for local residents to respond to the Statutory Public Consultation on Calderdale Energy Park. The consultation closes at Midnight on Wednesday 10 June.
Campaigners from Stop Calderdale Wind Farm are urging people to submit their views on this highly contentious industrial development before it's too late.
Lapwing on Walshaw Moor. © Stop Calderdale Wind Farm
"Calderdale Energy Park's proposal to build 34 huge 200 metre-high turbines on Walshaw Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest - in the heart of Bronte Country, directly above Hardcastle Crags, Crimsworth Dean, Widdop Reservoir and Top Withens - represents the biggest threat to Calderdale's countryside since the 1960s when locals fought off an equally misguided plan to dam Hardcastle Crags to build a reservoir.
"Walshaw Moor is a Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area for birds. It's the Jewel in the Crown in nature conservation terms and completely the wrong place to build a wind farm. Carving up the moor to dig the foundations for 34 massive turbines and miles of access roads and cable runs will decimate the sensitive blanket peat bog habitat. The deep peat is an invaluable 'carbon sink' (storing more carbon than tropical rain forest) and acts as a huge sponge helping to prevent flooding in the Calder Valley.
"Walshaw Moor has incredible biodiversity and supports one of the best breeding sites for ground-nesting birds in the UK. The plight of the endangered curlews, lapwings and golden plovers that rely on this moorland for their survival was highlighted on BBC's Springwatch only last night. These waders have virtually died out in many parts of the country, including Northern Ireland, Wales and Dartmoor, whereas here on Walshaw Moor above Hebden Bridge they are thriving. It would be complete madness to destroy their habitat and wipe them out when conservationists elsewhere in the UK are going to extraordinary lengths to protect them."
"In order for the local community to fight this environmentally damaging development, it's vital that as many people as possible voice their opposition. This is the last opportunity for the public to have their say before Calderdale Energy Park submits its application for a Development Consent Order to the Government later this year."
Please note that the .com email address in Calderdale Energy Park's Consultation Brochure is incorrect. The correct address is info@calderdaleenergypark.co.uk. If you've sent your submission to the wrong email address, please re-send it to the correct address.
The plight of the endangered curlews, lapwings and golden plovers that rely on this moorland for their survival was highlighted on BBC's Springwatch only last night. These waders have virtually died out in many parts of the country, including Northern Ireland, Wales and Dartmoor, whereas here on Walshaw Moor above Hebden Bridge they are thriving.
With thanks to the Stop Calderdale Wind Farm group for this update
Useful links:
- Stop Calderdale Wind Farm
- 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)
Previously, on the HebWeb
Public Consultation on Walshaw Windfarm (17 April 2026)
Walshaw Windfarm: Planning Department challenge developer's 'misleading statements' (4 March 2026)
Discussion on the HebWeb Forum
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)