Alternatives to Walshaw Moor: WTRG Report on Algihaz Site Selection

The Walshaw Turbines Research Group (WTRG), part of Stronger Together, has published its second report for Mustapha Hajjar, CEO of Algihaz Holding. The report examines one of the most important questions surrounding the proposed Calderdale Energy Park (CEP): what alternatives to Walshaw Moor were considered, and how was the site selected?

The report follows advice logged by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) following a meeting with Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd on 15 July 2026 concerning the need for a clear approach to alternatives in the consultation documents and Development Consent Order (DCO) application.

WTRG argues that Walshaw Moor is an exceptionally sensitive location for a major wind farm development.

The site is designated as both a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Special Protection Area (SPA). It is also associated with internationally significant literary and cultural heritage, including the landscape of the Brontë country.

The report argues that these characteristics make the proper consideration of alternative sites particularly important. It also links the question of alternatives to the aggregate issue examined in WTRG’s first report: if Algihaz did not properly understand the site’s geology and construction-material requirements when carrying out its 2021 due diligence, WTRG questions how alternative sites could have been properly assessed at the same time.

The report compares Walshaw Moor with other English sites that are designated as both SAC and SPA, including Ashdown Forest, the landscape associated with Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, as well as the North York Moors, North Pennine Moors and New Forest.

WTRG argues that, when SAC, SPA and internationally recognised heritage are considered together, Walshaw Moor is the most extreme site in England for a wind farm proposal on these particular criteria, with Ashdown Forest its closest comparator.

The report argues that the exceptional characteristics of Walshaw Moor mean that the explanation of site selection and alternatives will require particularly careful scrutiny as the Calderdale Energy Park proposal progresses.

WTRG says the Planning Inspectorate’s advice makes the issue especially relevant to the forthcoming DCO process and argues that a clear and credible account of alternatives will be essential.

The full report examines the alternatives issue in considerably more detail, including the Planning Inspectorate’s advice, the comparison with other protected sites and WTRG’s analysis of the history of the Calderdale Energy Park proposal.

The views and allegations summarised above are those of the Walshaw Turbines Research Group and are set out in its full report.