Major failures in local planning mean homes could be left uninhabitable¹

Noise consultant identifies major health risk to local inhabitants due to Cubico’s proposed Scout Moor 2 windfarm development

The planning application for Scout Moor 2² is fundamentally flawed, deliberately manipulating a broken planning process, resulting in a risk to our health, wellbeing, climate, environment and heritage. It must be stopped. Here is why:

What even is the application? The applicant, Cubico³, want to install up to 17 turbines, each larger than Blackpool Tower, on Rooley Moor. Government planning advice⁴ requires a worst- case scenario to be evaluated, but Cubico are using this process to sidestep the need to be specific about their plans, in an attempt to rush through the development before the political mood changes.  We don’t know what turbines they want to install, we don’t know how noisy they are, we don’t know how efficient they are… there are simply too many unanswered questions for there to be a proper consultation.

Peat, peat, peat… The proposed development is on deep peat.  The LPAs know that, the applicant knows that, everybody knows that.  At least 140,000 cubic meters of peat (equivalent to 1,275 double decker buses) will be replaced by concrete if this scheme goes ahead.  This is the equivalent of around 30 sq km of rainforest! This also contravenes the LPAs own policies⁵ by a huge margin (which, sadly, we’ve already seen Rossendale Council do with Cubico’s recent meteorological mast approval). The policies to protect peat are there for a reason – it is good for us – it holds carbon, it holds water and prevents flooding, it is a natural habitat for a wealth of things that are good for our ecology.  You can see the damage that has been done to deep peat just installing the meteorological mast⁶.  The LPAs continue to demonstrate their inability to enforce planning rules even on this small and relatively simple development.

Experimenting with Residents’ Health – These would be some of the largest and most densely sited turbines in England, and the closest to residential dwellings.  It is clearly proven that turbine noise and shadow flicker are damaging to health.  Why is it ok to put Rochdale and Rossendale residents at risk?

Planning and Noise Expert Melvin Grosvenor, founding member of the Independent Noise Working Group, says “… should the proposed 180 metre turbines be consented, some of the homes in this local area will be at EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH RISK of being uninhabitable”

Amenity – Yes, we all know we’re not entitled to a view, but we are entitled to want to protect this beautiful countryside, our shared heritage, and our shared common land.  Elsie Blundell MP herself highlighted the importance of the Cotton Famine Road⁷ on Rooley Moor in her maiden speech in Parliament. This development will harm national trails and change the landscape forever.  Previous failed applications here have already been rejected for good planning reasons, including cumulative impact.

Conspiracy? The LPAs are ignoring their bill payers – the MPs are not addressing their constituents’ concerns, the Councillors are ignoring their electorate. Party politics and local council budgets⁸ are driving decision making to all of our detriment.

Whilst Cubico say this will generate “enough to power over 100,000 homes each year”, we say this generation is at enormous public cost⁹, and it will not power any homes when the wind isn’t blowing.

ACT NOW

We need your help to uphold processes, ensure policies are adhered to, ensure our elected Councillors and MPs are acting on our behalf, and to protect the moorland.  Find out more and sign up to get involved at https://saynotoscoutmoor2.org.uk/, or join us in Norden on 27 November 6pm to 8.30pm, at Norden Methodist Church.

For more information, press only:

Say No to Scout Moor 2: Steve Davison, info@saynotoscoutmoor2.org.uk,  07785 957 071

Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Forum CIC: Alan Rawsterne, info@rmnf.org.uk, 07970 715 904

Useful Links:

https://saynotoscoutmoor2.org.uk/

https://www.rmnf.org.uk/

Rochdale Council’s planning application consultation: Rochdale Consultation
Rossendale Council’s planning application consultation: Rossendale Consultation

Footnotes:

1. Wexford wind farm must pay almost €1m towards legal costs of couple who won noise nuisance case
2. Rochdale Council planning application reference “25/00680/FUL”, also on the Rossendale Council planning site: “2025/0267”
3. Cubico UK Development (Wind 1) Limited, Company Number 15860283, is a newly incorporated company with no assets – it is part of a complex series of holding companies that make up Cubico’s investment and tax avoidance structure – with profits ultimately going to an teachers’ pension fund in Ontario, Canada.
4. Cubico say that their application is being made under the “Rochdale Envelope” approach (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects – Advice Note Nine: Rochdale Envelope – GOV.UK) – which is designed to assess a worst case scenario when a scheme has not been fully designed, in order to accelerate obtaining planning permission. This should be transparent before and throughout the consultation, but it has not been mentioned, not even once, in the planning application or the Local Planning Authority communication with the consultees.
5. An example of one of the policies the application contravenes, ENV7 prevents development on deep peat over 40cm. The majority of this development is on peat much deeper than 40cm
6. Horrifying destruction of peat by Cubico
7. Cotton Famine Road: https://www.rmnf.org.uk/area/cotton-famine-road/
8. Rossendale Council have already accounted for the income from this development in their budgets, thereby giving the appearance of having pre-determined the outcome of the application
9. The UK’s industrial electricity is by far the worlds’ most expensive, domestic is second highest in Europe