Wind Power

We feel that Todmorden Moor is likely to prove unsuitable for wind turbines for the following reasons.

• Quiet enjoyment
  There is extensive documentation of experience of distress and discomfort from the noise from wind turbines, which would militate against quiet enjoyment.



• Water supplies
  Over fifty households and farms are dependent on the catchment area of Todmorden Moor for their water supplies. A detailed hydrological survey will be required to ensure that excavation and construction for anchorage of wind turbines will not interfere with spring water supplies.

The “gentle” footprint of a wind turbine

• Underground workings
  Todmorden Moor has been extensively mined for coal and fireclay from both the Union and Upper Mountain seams. Although records exist from mining activity in the twentieth century, there are few records from workings in the nineteenth and earlier centuries. Evidence of these earlier workings is seen over a large area in the form of surface subsidence and the sudden appearance of potentially dangerous holes. The Coal Authority must be consulted to ensure that anchorage for wind turbines will not be affected by previous underground workings



• Complex and unstable geology (see Sheet 76 One Inch Geological Survey and Geology of the Rossendale Anticline; Wright et al. (1925))

a) dominance of shales and mudstones

Records of local geology show the dominant strata underlying Todmorden Moor are of shales and mudstones, interleaved with mostly thinner bands of grit and sandstone. Unlike sandstone, shales and mudstones are relatively friable and can be unstable. Tests will be needed to ensure that the underlying geology is conducive to a solid foundation for anchorage of wind turbines.

b) faulting

The geology of the moor is intersected and much disturbed by a system of faults. The powerful Deerplay Fault runs north west to south east, but the proximity to the Todmorden smash zone creates an irregular system of minor faults running mostly east to west. These are largely unrecorded and a detailed survey will be needed to ensure that faulting would not hazard the foundations of the proposed turbines.

Size Matters

WIND POWER UPDATE

Applications were made last year by Coronation Power for three wind farms in the area – Todmorden Moor, Reaps Moss, and Crook Hill.  Because the Crook Hill site (straddling the Calderdale – Rochdale border) is barely visible from Todmorden Moor, we have not been involved with that application as a Trust, though members have campaigned individually.  Our main effort has been concentrated on Todmorden Moor.

The documents supporting the application contained many flaws which had to be considered care fully before becoming the basis of objections to Calderdale Council.  In fact, a series of objection letters was sent to the Council as it would not have been practical to send them all in one letter.  A wind power sub-group has been principally responsible for dealing with application and the objections to it.

SPRING WATER
In August, Coronation Power submitted a supplementary document which was supposed to answer points raised by the Council, and some of the points made by objectors.  In this it signally failed.  Concerns about peat and spring water which had been expressed earlier were not dealt with, and still remain.

No serious work has been done by Coronation Power to assess the impact of the turbines on the peat, and the consequential impact on the more than fifty properties which are dependent on spring water supplies.  The complex hydrology of Todmorden Moor (detailed above) has been consistently ignored by the applicant.  Fortunately, the Pollutions Officer at Calderdale not only accepts that they have a serious case to answer on these issues, but is also deeply critical of the noise assessment made in the application, and the potential noise impact on residents in the area.

REAPS MOSS
An application for four turbines on Reaps Moss was lodged with Rossendale Council on the same day as the one for Todmorden Moor, along with a parallel application to Calderdale for the access road to Reaps Moss.  Because any turbines on Reaps Moss would be clearly visible from Todmorden Moor, we have also objected to these turbines and the access road, largely on the grounds of visual impact, but also on more technical grounds.  The road would require a large cutting, and no details have been provided of where the excavated material would go.

T.M.R.T. has contributed to, and greatly benefited from, the work of the Friends of the South Pennines, an umbrella group with supporters from Todmorden, Walsden, Littleborough, and Bacup.  This group, ably chaired by Chris Edwards, has been extremely useful in coordinating the signing of opposition letters, leaflet drops and, more recently, making sure that the objectors were well represented at a planning meeting in Rawtenstall.

The wind farm applications have created some interest in the news media.  Articles which have been generally sympathetic to the objectors have appeared in local papers, and Todmorden Moor has been visited by Yorkshire TV’s “Calendar” and BBC “Look North” during the year.

LATEST INFORMATION
The Reaps Moss application has been turned down by Rossendale Council.  Currently, Calderdale Council has suspended work on the application for the Reaps Moss access road because Coronation Power appealed to the Planning Inspectorate in December.  The appeal is on the grounds of “non-determination” of the application, and a similar appeal is expected in relation to the turbines on Todmorden Moor.  We await further developments.

If you would like further information or feel that you would like to help keep Todmorden Moor from being covered in giant wind turbines you can get in touch with Robin on info@todmordenmoor.org.uk or ring (01706) 814988.