Scout Moor II 2025 In Review: A Year of Listening, Learning and Progress
Throughout 2025, Cubico progressed the Scout Moor II proposals through public consultation, technical assessment and submission of the planning application, alongside continued engagement with local communities and stakeholders. This update reflects on that work over the past year and sets out how the project will continue to move forward into the next stage.
Spring 2025: Listening through consultation
In March and April 2025, Cubico launched the second phase of public consultation on Scout Moor II. This followed an earlier round of engagement and was deliberately designed to give people more time, more information and more opportunities to take part.
Over a five-week period, engagement included:
Five in-person exhibitions across Bacup, Norden, Whitworth, Cowpe and Edenfield with 223 attendees.
Online technical webinars covering peatland restoration, noise, shadow flicker and access.
Thousands of visits to the consultation website during the consultation period.
Feedback from earlier engagement informed this approach, including changes to venues, improvements to leaflet distribution and clearer presentation of technical material. Engagement also continued between consultation phases, with meetings held with councillors, MPs, community organisations, environmental groups and those who had raised concerns about the project.
Feedback throughout the year also reinforced how complex planning proposals can feel for communities, particularly where technical information is involved. In response, Cubico has focused on providing clearer explanations, more accessible materials and additional opportunities for people to ask questions directly. This included topic-led webinars, improved visual material and extended consultation periods. This approach has been intended to support more informed engagement and to help people understand not just what is being proposed, but why.
In response to feedback on accessibility, additional printed copies of the EIA were made available locally. A catalogue of comments, with a reference list, has been added to the project website at: https://1drv.ms/b/c/f9fd89412d6648da/EdmK1IurwTdOvqr6l24zY8kBOy_1HUqw_VOswhZ9m9Ye9A?e=39KqgP
Crucially, what was heard helped shape the proposals themselves. Changes included a reduction in the overall number of turbines, adjustments to the layout to avoid deeper peat areas, the removal of a turbine near Whitworth, and refinements to access and construction arrangements. These changes are clearly set out in the planning submission and reflect the influence of local feedback on the evolving design.
Summer 2025: Submitting the planning application
Following consultation and further technical assessment, Cubico submitted the planning application for Scout Moor II in Summer 2025.
The submission brings together environmental assessments, technical studies and a detailed account of the consultation process, showing how feedback has been considered and addressed. Since validation, Cubico has been reviewing responses from residents, statutory consultees and local authorities, and continuing discussions to identify where further clarification or technical work may be required.
Any updated or additional information will be submitted transparently as Further Environmental Information, with another formal opportunity for public comment expected in Spring 2026. Submission marked an important milestone, but it has always been part of a wider, ongoing process rather than the end of engagement.
Building the evidence base: the meteorological mast
Alongside consultation and application preparation, Cubico has continued to strengthen the technical evidence underpinning the Scout Moor II proposals. A key part of this work has been the installation of a meteorological mast on site.
A separate planning application for the mast was approved by Rossendale Borough Council’s Development Management Committee in June. The mast was installed in September following that decision and in accordance with the approved plans and conditions.
The meteorological mast has understandably prompted questions locally, particularly around how it was installed and its potential effects on the moor.
The mast is a temporary structure, and its sole purpose is to collect detailed wind data to inform the ongoing assessment of the Scout Moor II proposals, ensuring that future decisions are based on accurate, site-specific information rather than assumptions.
During installation, Cubico followed an agreed method designed to minimise ground disturbance. This included the use of temporary matting and a small installation footprint. Some surface minor disturbance did occur as part of this process, which has been visible on the moor and has caused understandable concern.
The installation did not involve excavation or removal of deep peat, nor did it result in permanent damage to peatland habitats. The affected areas are expected to recover naturally. However, Cubico will revisit the site in spring, ahead of the first growing season, and where required will carry out reseeding, informed by advice from a qualified ecologist.
Cubico recognises the sensitivity of the moorland environment and the strength of feeling around peat protection. The installation has been monitored, and the mast will be removed once sufficient data has been collected, with the ground reinstated in line with the approved approach. Lessons from this process are also being fed into the wider project, reinforcing the importance of careful construction methods and clear communication around activity on the moor.
Autumn 2025: Shaping the Community Wealth Fund
One of the clearest messages from engagement throughout the year has been the importance of meaningful community benefit, and in particular the need for the proposed Community Wealth Fund to be fair, transparent and shaped by local priorities.
In response, Cubico has focused recent engagement on how the Fund should work in practice, rather than presenting a fixed model. An independent organisation, Groundwork, has been appointed to support this process, bringing experience in helping communities design locally driven funding models.
Workshops, surveys and drop-in sessions have been held across communities, with further opportunities planned. Feedback so far has highlighted strong interest in funding for youth groups, community facilities, parks and play areas, alongside clear expectations around governance, eligibility and long-term accountability.
This engagement will inform the co-design of the Fund’s structure and operating principles, with draft proposals to be shared publicly before any final model is adopted.
Engagement beyond formal consultation
Alongside formal consultation activity, Cubico has remained engaged throughout the year through attendance at area forums, meetings with community and user groups, and outreach with local schools. The project has also formed part of wider regional conversations around clean energy and decarbonisation.
This continued presence reflects Cubico’s intention to be a long-term owner and operator, committed to openness, accountability and ongoing dialogue throughout the planning process and beyond.
Slides from Cubico’s recent attendance at the Norden Area Forum on 9th December 2025 can be found here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6888e2da8d1a5a3d46cb309f/t/6939bdac65e09057450e22dc/1765391788378/20251208+Scout+Moor+Norden+Area+Forum+9.12.25.pdf
Looking ahead
Cubico would like to thank everyone who engaged with the project during 2025 and remains committed to keeping communities informed as the proposals progress through the next stage.
