I will fight Calderdale Energy Park plans ‘every step of the way’: MP Robbie Moore
Few landscapes define our area quite like Walshaw Moor. It is a place of remarkable beauty, rich wildlife, internationally important peatland, and the historic Brontë Country. That is why I have opposed the Calderdale Energy Park from the beginning.
Since 2023, I have been contacted by hundreds of residents, landowners, local businesses, and campaign groups, all united by the belief that this proposal is the wrong development in the wrong location.
Their concerns have strengthened my determination to fight these plans every step of the way.
Broadly speaking, my concerns are threefold: the impact on our natural environment, including our ecology and wildlife; the threat posed to our precious peatland and its vital role in carbon storage; and the lasting consequences for our heritage, landscape, and the communities who call this area home.
First and foremost, we must recognise what is at stake.
This is not simply an area of open land; it is a living, breathing landscape that supports a rich diversity of wildlife, habitats, and ecosystems. Among the species that depend on this landscape is the curlew, one of Britain’s most iconic and increasingly vulnerable wading birds. Developments of this scale risk causing irreversible damage to habitats that have taken generations to form and thrive.
My second concern is our peatland. Disturbing thousands of hectares of peat to construct turbine foundations, access roads, cable routes, substations, and other infrastructure risks releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere, whilst also increasing the risk of sediment entering local watercourses.
That is difficult to reconcile with the very environmental objectives the project claims to support.
Then there is the impact on our heritage, landscape, and communities. Walshaw Moor sits at the heart of the landscape that inspired the Brontë sisters and is recognised far beyond Yorkshire for its cultural significance. The construction phase alone would see around 600,000 tonnes of granite transported to the site, generating up to 148 HGV movements every day for approximately 16 months. That level of disruption would affect local residents, businesses, and visitors, whilst fundamentally altering the character of this treasured landscape.
I want to be absolutely clear, my objection is not to renewable energy itself, but to the proposal in this specific location.
We need to expand clean energy if we are to strengthen our national energy security and reduce emissions, but a vital part of that is identifying suitable locations for development.
Choosing the right sites matters.
Protecting our most valuable natural landscapes should not be treated as an obstacle to achieving net zero; it should be part of achieving it properly.
In light of these concerns, it is worryingly myopic of developers to continue pursuing this scheme in the knowledge of its potential long-term consequences. It is equally concerning that a project of this scale has been designated as nationally significant, removing decision-making further from local people.
Although the formal consultation has now concluded, this campaign is far from over.
I will continue to stand alongside residents and campaign groups to protect this landscape. Decisions that shape our communities for generations must not be driven solely by the ambitions of developers; they must reflect the voices of the people who call this place home and will live with the consequences long after developers have left.
Some landscapes are simply too important to lose. For the sake of our environment, our heritage, and future generations, Walshaw Moor is one of them.
Robbie Moore is a Conservative Party MP for Keighley and Ilkley.