Two MPs have joined forces to oppose the Hope Moor Wind Farm on the North Yorkshire and County Durham border.
Rishi Sunak, Conservative MP for Richmond and Northallerton and Dr Sam Rushworth, Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, issued joint statements opposing the plan for 23 200-metre-high wind turbines between Arkengarthdale and Teesdale.
It followed a meeting with members of the Hope Moor Wind Farm Action Group on the remote moorland earmarked for turbines which would be higher than the Blackpool Tower.
Both MPs said the impact of the turbines on the nationally-important landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty outweighed any benefits.
Mr Sunak said he was also concerned about the impact of the development on the area’s peatland – a hugely valuable habitat for storing carbon and helping with flood management.
Dr Rushworth said that while supportive of the role onshore wind can play in the UK’s energy future he feared the impact of the turbines and the associated infrastructure – such as access roads and the connections to the national grid – was too great.
Mr Sunak said: “The site lies just outside the northern boundary of the National Park but its visual impact on the landscape of Swaledale, Wensleydale and further afield will be very, very obvious.
“The route of the Coast to Coast Walk, the newest UK National Trail, is just a few miles to the south. I cannot support a plan which will lead to the views from many parts of the trail – some of the most beautiful – being spoilt in this way.”
Mr Sunak said the erection of the turbines and the creation of service roads and construction of associated buildings to sustain the wind farm would lead to a loss of peatland.
“I have supported a lot of work to protect and restore peatland. It is a unique resource of international importance locking up huge volumes of carbon and playing a significant role in water management. Healthy peat acts as a natural sponge, absorbing water to reduce flood risk to communities in the lowlands.”
He added that he was delighted to work with Dr Rushworth in opposing the project.
Dr Rushworth said: “Securing Britain’s energy future is the defining challenge of our time and one that will require trade-offs. When it was first raised, I asked my constituents to give me time consider the evidence, understand the full implications, listen carefully to those affected, and then act according to my conscience and the facts before me, as I attempt to reconcile a conflict that brings together the need to cut carbon emissions, enhance nature, secure cheaper energy, and protect a landscape we all cherish.
“I have reached the conclusion that the costs of the Hope Moor project outweigh the benefits, and alternatives should be sought. These should include alternative locations for wind but also looking seriously at geothermal opportunities in Durham.
“I am pleased to work cross-party with my constituency neighbour, Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, in making that argument and defending a landscape we all cherish.
“Onshore wind is now one of the cheapest forms of electricity generation and will play an important role in our energy future. I support that and believe, if done right, we can become used to turbines forming part of our countryside as viaducts and brick chimneys have for centuries, but we should also preserve our most unspoiled landscapes and protect our most nature-rich habitats.”
He added: “There are real proposals on the table for geothermal projects in Durham that would provide stable baseload energy, create local jobs, provide a just transition for oil and gas workers, and cut household bills. Surely, we must explore these first.”
Suzy Wilson, spokesperson for the Action Group, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this cross-party support from Rishi Sunak and Sam Rushworth.
“We are committed to saving this landscape of national importance from inappropriate industrialisation. With its thriving biodiversity and carbon-locking peatland, this precious landscape is naturally helping our climate and should not be disturbed.
“To receive the unconditional support of two such highly respected and influential MPs is wonderful news and reinforces the message we are receiving loud and clear from local and national supporters that the Hope Moor project is absolutely the wrong development in the wrong place.”
