Template Objection Letter
Please feel free to use some or all of our template objection letter. If you can, please personalise it to add your own emphasis. It is best to submit to both planning authorities:
As of September 2026 Cubico have released an updated planning application for 12 180m turbines. The application is available from Rossendale with reference number 2025/0267and at Rochdale with the reference 25/00680/FUL.
- Rossendale with reference number 2025/0267 – If this does not work try entering the reference number into the search box HERE
- Rochdale with the reference 5/00680/FUL – If this does not work try entering the reference number into the following search box HERE
Note that both planning portals have periods of unavailability so you can instead write directly to the planning officers concerned:
- Rossendale – James Dalgleish (jamesdalgleish@rossendale.gov.uk)
- Rochdale – Rachel Carney (rachel.carney@rochdale.gov.uk)
When using this approach please make sure to mark your email as an OBJECTION and request that it be logged on both planning portals.
Subject: OBJECTION to planning application [Rossendale reference 2025/0267 | Rochdale reference 25/00680/FUL]
Dear Planning Officer,
I wish to object in the strongest possible terms to the above application submitted by Cubico.
The proposal for 12 industrial‑scale turbines is completely inappropriate for this landscape. The application still lacks the clarity and certainty needed for a development of this magnitude, and the public cannot meaningfully assess its full impact when key aspects of the scheme remain unclear.
The site lies on Green Belt and Common Land, with protected moorland habitats and extensive peat. Any large‑scale construction here would cause irreversible environmental damage. Peatland is a vital carbon store and wildlife habitat; once disturbed, it cannot be restored within meaningful timescales.
The development would severely harm several of the region’s most important heritage assets, including:
- The Cotton Famine Road (Rooley Moor Road)
- Waugh’s Well
- Prickshaw and Broadley Fold Conservation Area
- Catley Lane Head Conservation Area
These historic landscapes and settlements are central to the area’s identity and should be protected, not overshadowed by giant industrial structures.
Scout Moor and Rooley Moor are the natural “lungs” of Lancashire and Greater Manchester. They provide essential recreational space for walkers, cyclists, runners and horse riders. Turbines of the size proposed would dominate the skyline, create noise and shadow flicker, and fundamentally change the character and tranquillity of the moor.
The construction of access roads would carve up the landscape, damage historic paths, and increase opportunities for illegal off‑road motorbike activity, which already causes serious harm to wildlife, livestock and legitimate users.
There is no convincing economic benefit. Most equipment will be imported, and long‑term local jobs will be negligible. Existing windfarms show that maintenance is carried out by external contractors, not local workers.
The so‑called “community benefits” would be funded through public subsidies. In effect, the community is being asked to accept environmental destruction in exchange for a small portion of its own money being returned. This is not credible mitigation.
Overall, the harms are clear, significant and permanent. The benefits are vague, unproven or funded by the public. The planning balance weighs overwhelmingly against this development.
Please acknowledge receipt of this objection and log it on your planning portal.
Name
Address
PS – If you would like to read the application, a good starting point is the latest version of the FEI – Planning Design and Access Statement, which provides an overview and directs you to the other documents available on the planning portals: