Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore has written to Ed Miliband calling for urgent Government intervention over the timing of a major consultation on the proposed Calderdale Energy Park.
The intervention comes amid concerns that the developer plans to launch its statutory consultation on 8 April during the pre-election period (“purdah”), despite clear warnings from both Bradford and Calderdale councils that this could undermine transparency.
The proposed wind farm is located on the edge of Brontë Country and backed by Saudi investment firm Al Gihaz Holdings.
The project has already attracted significant local opposition due to its potential impact on more than 2,300 hectares of protected peatland, a natural carbon store.
Read Mr Moore’s full letter below:
Dear Secretary of State,
As you will know, proposals for the “Calderdale Energy Park” on the edge of historic Brontë Country have raised significant concerns locally, particularly given the scale of the development and its potential impact on over 2,300 hectares of protected peatland.
This peatland is an irreplaceable natural habitat and a crucial carbon store. Peatlands hold an estimated twenty-six times more carbon than UK forests and, as internationally recognised peatland scientists like Richard Lindsay have recognised, disturbance of this land risks releasing vast quantities of carbon into the atmosphere and undermining wider climate objectives. In addition, areas such as Walshaw Moor play a vital role in natural flood mitigation for the Calder Valley, with blanket bog and sphagnum moss helping to absorb rainfall and reduce downstream flood risk.
Alongside the damage this will do to our local heritage and tourism, you will know I am firmly against these proposals as Keighley & Ilkley’s Member of Parliament.
Against this backdrop, I now understand that the developer intends to launch its statutory consultation for the project next week, on 8 April, running until 10 June.
As you will note, it seems as if the developers have deliberately timed this consultation to fall squarely across the pre-election period for local elections (“purdah”) and potentially into the early stages of a newly formed council administrations.
Both Bradford Council and Calderdale Council have explicitly advised that the consultation should be delayed until after the elections to align with their responsibilities during purdah and ensure that newly elected councillors and any new administration are able to properly engage in the process. This advice appears to have been disregarded.
A statutory consultation is one of the most important ways of ensuring that local communities, stakeholders, and elected representatives can properly scrutinise and influence major infrastructure proposals. Proceeding during the pre-election is obviously wrong.
Furthermore, while the consultation period has reportedly been extended slightly, it still falls short of the 12 weeks recommended by both local authorities and town and parish councils.
I would therefore urge you to use the powers available to you as Secretary of State to intervene in this process and require the developer to postpone the statutory consultation until after the conclusion of the local elections and the formation of new councils across both the Bradford District and Calderdale. This would ensure that newly elected councillors, local authorities, and communities are able to engage properly rather than being side-lined during the purdah period.
I would be grateful for your urgent consideration of this matter and a clear indication of what steps you are prepared to take to ensure that this consultation proceeds in a fair manner.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Robbie Moore MP, Member of Parliament for Keighley and Ilkley
