Local communities to be consulted on wind farm proposal for Rooley Moor

Coronation Power’s plans for a wind farm on Rooley Moor, north of Rochdale, will be outlined in a series of public exhibitions being held at the end of February

Exhibitions in Rochdale, Bacup, Heywood and Whitworth

Coronation Power’s plans for a wind farm on Rooley Moor, north of Rochdale, will be outlined in a series of public exhibitions being held at the end of February.

Coronation Power is hosting four exhibitions in the local area between Wednesday 26 February 2014 and Saturday 1 March 2014.

• Wednesday, 26 February (2.00pm to 7.00pm): Heywood Civic Centre (Peine Suite), 3 Church Street, Heywood, OL10 1LW
• Thursday, 27 February (2.00pm to 7.00pm): Whitworth Civic Hall (Main Hall), Market Street, Whitworth, OL12 8DP
• Friday, 28 February (10.30am to 4.30pm): Rossendale Council Chambers, The Business Centre, Futures Park, Bacup, OL13 0BB
• Saturday, 1 March (10.00am to 1.00pm): Spotland Social Club, Edenfield Street, Rochdale, OL12 7BP

The proposed wind farm site is located on Rooley Moor, Rochdale, and is east of the existing Scout Moor wind farm that was developed by Peel Energy. The Rooley Moor site has previously been consulted on as it had formed a part of Peel Energy’s plans to extend the Scout Moor wind farm. The site at Rooley Moor is no longer part of the Peel Energy wind farm extension and is now being taken forward independently by Coronation Power. Coronation Power has successfully developed three other wind farm projects in the south Pennines and these are set to enter operation over the next 12 months.

The proposed wind farm at Rooley Moor requires the approval of Rochdale and Rossendale Councils. Both councils have been briefed about the project and Coronation’s plans to consult local people. The two councils have also been briefed on Coronation’s plan to provide long-term economic and environmental benefits to the immediate area. A community fund, estimated at £2million over the life-time of the project, has been proposed by Coronation Power.

The project, subject to the outcomes of the public consultation and planning processes, as well as necessary environmental and technical studies, consists of up to 17 turbines (each up to 125 metres to tip in height) with an overall electricity generation capacity of 42.5MW, enough power to supply clean energy to more than 21,500 homes in the North West.

Members of the Coronation Power project team will be available at each of the exhibitions to answer people’s questions and to receive their feedback. The feedback received via the exhibitions and received via the other channels available, will help inform the company’s planning application to Rochdale and Rossendale Councils.
Leaflets about the exhibitions have been posted to more than 16,000 homes in the vicinity of the wind farm site, which lies approximately 3.5km south west of Bacup, 4.5km south east of Rawenstall and 6.5km north of Heywood.

In addition to the leaflet and the exhibitions, Coronation is contacting various local interest and recreational groups, and will be lodging information about the project in local libraries and in council offices. Information about the project, which was first introduced to local stakeholders in June 2013, is also available online via www.coronationpower.com

Bonnie Aldridge, Community Relations Executive at Coronation Power said: “The exhibitions will offer people the opportunity to learn more about the project and its impacts on the local area. We have carried out a series of environmental and technical studies over the past year, and we consider the site to be wholly suitable for a wind farm. If we are successful in our application, we would work closely with the local councils, local people and local interest groups to ensure that the project is carefully developed and it brings maximum benefit to the area.”

Subject to the outcomes of the pubic consultation process and the environmental and technical work, Coronation Power hopes to submit its planning application to Rochdale and Rossendale Councils by the end of March 2014. The application would be open for public consultation and examination as per the Councils’ planning guidelines.

For further information, please contact Coronation Power (www.coronationpower.com) via info@coronationpower.com