Ted Hughes: Former poet laureate's estate backs campaigners fighting giant wind farm on Calderdale moorland

The Mytholmroyd-born poet was famous for his evocation of the natural world, inspired by the Calder Valley landscape he grew up in.

Stop Calderdale Windfarm, marshalling objections to Calder Wind Farm Ltd’s proposals for a 65-turbine wind farm on more than 2,300 hectares of land at Walshaw Moor above Hebden Bridge, says the Ted Hughes Estate – run by poet’s widow Carol Hughes – is behind their campaign.

Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd says the wind farm could be England’s biggest if it progresses and has submitted a scoping report to Calderdale Council.

Stop Calderdale Windfarm says it has been given permission to use some of Ted Hughes’ work on its website

A spokesperson for the campaigners said: “No one understood and appreciated the landscape of Calderdale better than Ted Hughes, or wrote about it so evocatively.

“We’re fighting to save his literary heritage as well as the countryside and wildlife he loved.”

The spokesperson said Hughes was committed wildlife campaigner who strongly opposed proposals for a windfarm at Flaight Hill, above Pecket Well, 30 years ago.

The group says organisations including the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, Upper Calderdale Wildlife Network, the RSPB, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Lancashire Wildlife Trust are opposing the scheme on nature conservation grounds.

Steve Ely, director of the Ted Hughes Network at University of Huddersfield, local cartographer Christopher Goddard, celebrated photographer Martin Parr and award-winning travel writer Horatio Clare, who lives in Hebden Bridge, are all also expressing concern and registering support to the campaign, it says.

The group says the proposed turbines would be visible for many miles, with each taller than Blackpool Tower.

The 65 turbines would be capable of generating up to 302MW of renewable electricity and establishing a £75 million community benefit fund, the company argues.

Renewable energy investors WWRE, working in conjunction with Calderdale Wind Farm Ltd, says it could generate enough renewable energy to power up to 286,491 homes per year, include planting of 300,000 new trees across the Walshaw Moor Estate and enhanced flood mitigation measures to help reduce the risk of flooding, and stopping grouse shooting there.