Stop Calderdale Windfarm petition hits 10,000 signature target

Stronger Together to Stop Calderdale Windfarm say they are “delighted” that number of people have signed their Parliamentary petition to ban windfarms on protected peatland in England and this means the Government must respond to them.

Spokesperson Jenny Shepherd said: “It is vital that the Government acts on our message about the importance of protected peatland throughout England.

“Their drive to speed up construction of big onshore wind farms is all about reaching Net Zero – but peatland restoration is also essential to these efforts.

“These habitats capture and store huge amounts of carbon dioxide, up to four times as much as tropical rainforest for instance.

“So it makes no sense to damage peatlands by building windfarms on them.

“These areas also enjoy international protection for endangered birds, and have a vital role in mitigating flooding in the valleys and providing good quality water,” she said.

Locally, the group aims to stop the development of a massive windfarm across nine square miles of Walshaw Moor, above Hebden Bridge and close to Haworth.

Previously named Calderdale Wind Farm, the scheme has recently been rebranded as Calderdale Energy Park, with Calder Wind Farm Ltd (CWFL) recently starting a non-statutory consultation over proposals to place a now-reduced – from 65 to 41 turbines there.

The campaign group says each would be as tall as Blackpool Tower and with a lot of related infrastructure.

Calder Wind Farm Ltd argues that the Calderdale Energy Park would be capable of generating enough electricity to power the equivalent of approximately 250,000 homes and reduce national CO2 emissions by approximately 354,000 tonnes each year, they claim.

The campaigners say they are unconvinced blanket bog will be as unaffected say developers are claiming and remain adamant that in their view the revised proposal would be as damaging blanket bog as the original.

Campaigners are urging people to respond to the consultation, which runs until June 10, although they say so far they are not satisfied with answers given to their questions.