Hollingworth | Littleborough | Wardle | Whitworth

Introduction
Coronation wishes to develop a 12 turbine wind farm on land near Wardle and Littleborough in east Lancashire. Over the past 18 months, the company has carried out extensive technical and environmental studies, consultations with local and regional statutory bodies, and held exhibitions for people living and working in the area. A planning application was submitted to Rochdale and Calderdale, the local planning authorities, in March 2007.

This section provides an overview of the proposed scheme and its current status.

Location
The site is located approximately 4km north of Rochdale and 2km east of Whitworth, on the high ground of Shore Moor to the north of the village of Wardle and Watergrove Reservoir.


Why Here
This site has a high wind speed, is close to a grid connection and not in a nationally protected area which makes it a good location for a wind farm.

Land Ownership
The site is owned by Jeremy Dearden (Lord of the Manor of Rochdale) who wishes to see a wind farm on his land. He has been paid a nominal sum for Coronation to have an exclusive option agreement on the land.

If we are successful in getting planning permission and then build and operate the wind farm, we will pay Mr. Dearden an annual land rental fee which will be a percentage of the total revenue generated by the wind farm on the land. This figure has been agreed and is based on industry standard fees.

The Wind Farm Proposal
When Coronation Power first began the evaluation and assessment of the site area at Crook Hill it soon became apparent that land adjacent to the proposed site boundaries was also suitable for possible wind farm development. Therefore, the decision has now been taken to incorporate this additional land in Coronation Power’s proposals for Crook Hill. Whereas the original site boundaries would have been suitable to accommodate a wind farm development of up to five turbines; the increased site area may allow for a wind farm development of up to twelve turbines capable of providing enough electricity to meet the domestic energy needs of almost 20,000 homes*. Each turbine will produce up to 3 MW of power, giving the site a potential total output of up to 36 MW. A detailed environmental impact assessment has been undertaken as part of the planning development process and is an integral part of the planning applications that have been submitted to Rochdale Council and Calderdale Council, the local authorities.

*Figures based on average annual household electricity consumption of 4.7 MWh as recommended by BWEA.

Site Feasibility Assessment and Environmental Scoping
A study of the proposed site was commissioned to look at various planning issues such as the local environment, the landscape, local ecology and the archaeology of the surrounding area. As part of the assessment, various organisations have been consulted, including Rochdale and Calderdale Councils, Lancashire County Council, Greater Manchester Ecology Unit, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, English Nature, the RSPB and the Environment Agency.

The study has been carried out by Dulas Ltd, one of the UK's leading renewable energy consultancies (www.dulas.org.uk).

A temporary anemometer mast to measure the wind speed and wind direction on the site was required as part of the evaluation process and permission was given by Rochdale Council and DEFRA to do this earlier this year. The mast will be operating for a period of between 9-12 months.

Public Consultation
Local consultation is an important part of the planning and development process and we are happy to share our plans and listen to people’s views, and if appropriate amend our plans accordingly.

In May 2006, we held a public exhibition of our plans and have had meetings with various civic and community groups, including the Wardle Society and the Crook Hill Commoners as well as answering questions from individuals received via our online feedback mechanism. A second exhibition was held in November 2006.

We have had dialogue with a number of statutory bodies and have consulted various commercial firms and public bodies about potential electro-magnetic and air safety issues, such as the MoD, Home Office, the mobile phone companies and the CAA.

Your views are important so if possible, please complete the on-line questionnaire:

 
   
Do you think that the UK should generate more electricity from the wind?
 
Yes
No
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How strongly do you support or oppose the Crook Hill wind farm proposal?
Strongly support
Tend to support
No opinion
Tend to oppose
Strongly oppose
 

   
Would you like to be kept informed of the progress of the Crook Hill proposal?
Yes (please give your name, email address and postal address)
No
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Address
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Any further comments
 
 

Please note that further information will be added to the site but if you have any questions or comments, please email us at info@coronationpower.com

 

 
 
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