‘Windfarm would bring traffic mayhem and create fewer local jobs than Greggs’

That is according to councillors, who also claim the energy scheme would create fewer local jobs than Greggs bakery shops.

Developers want to build a huge windfarm with 34 turbines at Walshaw Moor, between Colne and Hebden Bridge, to be named Calderdale Energy Park. And they want to transport parts on heavy lorries from Lancashire, along the M65 to Colne and then on smaller moorland roads.

But Pendle councillors say the traffic impact could harm shops, properties and roads. And there would be no local cheap energy from the turbines as consolation, they claim.

Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd is behind the plan and the firm says turbines could power 198,000 homes. The project is sponsored by NextGen Infra, a global investment group linked to Al Gihaz Holdings.

But Pendle councillors are worried about the proposed transport route, including the C682 School Lane and Lancashire Moor Road. They fear Colne, Trawden and Laneshawbridge could be harmed.

The wind-farm plan is classed as ‘nationally significant’ and will be decided by the government later this year. As part of the process, councils and communities are being asked for their views.

Pendle Council’s new executive has discussed the plan and councillors from different parties generally shared similar concerns. They will send worries about a lack of full details at this stage, alleged errors in information and the potential major impacts on roads, the landscape and tourism to the government.

Conservative David-Cockburn Price, who is not on the executive, said some consultation meetings were held recently by the developers in Trawden and Colne. He said: “A preliminary environment impact report for the applicant is 12,000 pages long. It goes on forever. They have done some initial work but keep making mistakes, like wrong location maps for turbines, so they then have to issue clarifications. But lots of people are looking at all this.

“In Colne, our neighbourhood plan includes preserving significant long-term views around the town. You’d be able to see these turbine blades all the way to the Fylde coast. These would be higher than Blackpool Tower.”

And he claimed the current preferred HGV route from Colne would ’cause mayhem, day and night, shaking buildings and roads to pieces’.

Sarah Cockburn-Price, another Conservative, said: “At a consultation in Primet, one consultant said Colne cemetery was chosen as a viewpoint in a report because nobody would be there to complain. However, I’d like to see moving images to show what the blades would look like in motion. They’d be lit with red lights 24 hours a day.”

She added: “On Byron Road, they expect 40-tonne lorries every three minutes for three years. And a 16 per cent increase of traffic on North Valley Road. Previously, they thought some traffic would come from Halifax. But now, the plan is for everything to come from Colne. We asked if traffic modelling would be done but the consultants said only if planning permission is approved by the government.”

She also had concerns about the traffic impact on tourism. For example, there are Colne links to the Bronte family of writers because a family curate is buried at Christ Church.

Ash Sutcliffe, another Conservative, said: “This HGV plan would have a serious impact on Colne. Three years of this would put people out of business.”

And on wind-farm related jobs, he added: “The information talks about local skills and employment – but it mentions barely 10 people. I think Greggs employ more than that in Colne. I’d rather have Greggs than a wind farm. And we won’t gain from any cheap local energy.”

Lib-Dem Lola Whipp generally agreed with concerns. But she also said east Lancashire companies might benefit from supplying parts for wind turbines, if the plan was approved.

Ruling Independents and Lib-Dems said they would reply to the government with all the concerns.

Developers say Walshaw Moor has ‘immense wind potential’, space for a large number of turbines and is relatively remote. It also has good access to main ports to transport turbine blade and is close to electricity grid connections.

Access routes have been refined to limit any effects on sensitive habitats, heritage features and local roads, developers say. And they plan to work in detail with Lancashire County Council on traffic, if approval is given by the government, and have also considered Trawden and other rural locations.

They have published information on-line and in print covering various questions.