MP seeks 'united voice' against windfarm plan

A West Yorkshire MP has written to other members of parliament calling for a cross-party "united voice" against proposals for a wind farm in Calderdale which would be England's biggest.

Robbie Moore, Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley, said he was concerned by Calder Wind Farm Ltd's plans for a 65-turbine wind farm on about 5,680 acres (2,300 hectares) of land at Walshaw Moor, above Hebden Bridge.

Moore said he believed that if the project was approved, it would have "huge negative impacts" across the region.

Calder Wind Farm Ltd argued that the development would bring benefits and it had submitted a scoping report to Calderdale Council to help identify the significant effects it might have.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Moore had written to Labour MPs Josh Fenton-Glynn (Calder Valley), Kate Dearden (Halifax), Oliver Ryan (Burnley) and Jonathan Hinder (Pendle and Clitheroe) as well as fellow Conservative MP Sir Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon).

They were invited by Moore to join a cross-party caucus to "provide a united voice in Parliament against the development".

In his letter, Moore outlined his concerns about the plans, including the disruption of protected peatland which acted as a natural carbon store and flood defence; the threat to endangered bird species; issues around transportation of materials to the site; and potential damage to the cultural heritage of the area known as Bronte Country.

He also highlighted the potential impact on tourism and local businesses, adding that he hoped the MPs would support the Stop Calderdale Wind Farm campaign.

"These proposals are completely inappropriate for Walshaw Moor," he wrote.

"We now know the Walshaw Moor Wind farm has the potential to completely devastate crucial carbon stores, creating lasting environmental damage and putting communities in the Calder and Worth Valleys at greater risk of flooding.

"While I support efforts to expand energy, we must ensure developments are in the right places and do not cause more harm than good."

Calder Wind Farm Ltd said the proposed development would bring benefits, not least in terms of renewable energy.

If constructed, it could generate enough renewable energy to power up to 286,491 homes per year, according to the firm.

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