Who we are

Friends of the Moors is a group of people who are concerned about the further industrialisation of Scout Moor and Rooley Moor for wind farm development.

We have serious concerns about the exploitation of UK Government policy by commercial organisations who are so concerned about a “climate crisis” they will only act if there’s a guaranteed substantial profit. If the proposed Scout Moor 2 development were to go ahead it will make a Canadian Teachers Pension Fund extraordinarily rich, increase the cost of the energy we use, reduce our energy security and have no impact on global temperature.

Our key concerns are as follows.

We are being exploited

The moorland in our area is already home to several large wind farms such as Scout Moor I, Crook Hill and Todmorden. This has arisen because it can be windy in this area and most of our moors are unprotected by official designation, such as SSSI, i.e. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. We are therefore an easy target, and landowners, traditionally seen as the guardians of our moorlands, have an easy way to make vast amounts of money.

Damage to our Heritage

There are many designated and non-designated heritage assets in and around our moorland that should be protected. This includes Prickshaw & Broadley Fold Conservation Area, Catley Lane Head Conservation Area, Rooley Moor Road (“The Cotton Famine Road”), Healey Dell Nature Reserve, Whitworth Square, the views from Peel Tower & Holcombe Moor and much, much more.

The area is home to a wealth of heritage going back 100’s of years but much of this is not recorded officially by Heritage England and therefore “does not exist”! The excavation of turbines bases, and construction of extensive access roads will damage the historic landscape and cannot fail to permanently damage priceless historical sites – they would be lost forever.

Damage to our environment and amenity

The proposed Scout Moor 2 development would further damage our environment, by implanting thousands of tonnes of concrete in the moors, destroying peat which is key to mitigating some of the effects of climate change, and which takes hundreds of years to grow.

These new turbines will be monsters, up to 21 x 180m turbines, each taller than Blackpool Tower! It will be impossible not to see them from every approach to the area. Those living in Whitworth will notice the shadow flicker from across the valley. People walking or riding up the Cotton Famine Road will be surrounded by these monsters, and many horse riders will find that riding is no longer possible if their horses have any disposition to be affected by noise and shadow flicker.

Noise Impact

Noise is also a more general concern for those living nearby as it is now understood that Excessive Amplitude Modulation, caused by the passed of a blade past the tower can cause a loud thumping sound that can travel for long distances and cause annoyance and sleep disturbance.

We believe that the developer severely underestimates the impact on water courses and the potential for exacerbating flood risk. Official representations from statutory bodies seem to back up our concerns.

Threats to Wildlife

The area has several endangered species of bird, such as the twite and curlew. They are in such serious danger that they are now considered the most pressing bird conservation priority in the UK. It is well known that curlews and twites rely on moorland habitats for nesting and feeding. The conversion of these areas to industrial land-use reduces the availability of suitable nesting sites and feeding grounds. There is also danger to bats and birds of prey, which are particularly susceptible to being killed by the turbine blades. Do not go searching the internet for videos of a falcon or eagle being chopped up by a turbine blade, it is sickening.

Health and Well Being

It is obvious to us that the preservation of the natural environment is crucially important in the maintenance of good health and wellbeing. It is vital that the permanence of landscape albeit changed by natural processes should be preserved. Tranquillity is an important part of wellbeing and this can be eroded by the introduction of structures, noise and activity into area previously free of them.

And let’s not forget peat!

Peat is formed in waterlogged, acidic fens and bogs over thousands of years by the growth of mosses and other plants, which absorb and ‘lock away’ carbon dioxide. Peat ‘grows’ by only a millimetre a year. A 10-metre-deep peat bed takes 9,000 years to form. Peatlands cover less than 3% of the land surface of Earth and in total holds around five hundred and fifty billion tonnes of carbon, which is thought to be twice as much carbon as the world’s forests. Digging up peat releases CO₂ into the atmosphere, we should want to keep carbon locked in the soil. Natural England has guidelines protecting peat of a depth over 40cm and pointing out that there should be no development at all on blanket bog.

When peat bogs are drained carbon is released back into the atmosphere where it contributes to global warming. It is estimated that the peat compost industry releases 630,000 tons of carbon emissions every year, the equivalent of 300,000 extra cars, to supply UK gardeners.

Peat is home for thousands of species of insects, hundreds of rare plants and endangered birds like the skylarks, curlew, and snipe.

Threat of Fire and Toxic Gas Release from the Battery Energy Storage System

Lastly, we also have major concerns about the safety of a large Battery Energy Storage Facility (BESS) which Cubico also want to construct right alongside the main Rochdale to Edenfield Road (A680). Lithium battery fires are much more common than most people realise. They can release toxic gases over a wide area. These include Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Fluoride, Phosphorus Pentafluoride and Acrolein. All can be extremely hazardous to health at relatively low concentrations and such fires are notoriously difficult to put out.