This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Rejected petition Open outdoor plant areas at garden centres in-line with social distancing rules.
Garden Centres are allowed to sell food & pet care, but not plants? 66 million UK citizens are in lockdown, if we can spend less time on phones & tablets and more in our gardens with nature, growing fruit, veg & flowers its a proven therapy for mental health & wellbeing so reduces strain on the NHS.
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It is through plants that children gain essential learning whilst at home. Nature soothes us, we need this during a lockdown that isolates us from our family and friends.
Half a billion pre grown plants for this spring valued at £250 million will perish. Without garden centres to take them they will be dumped on huge compost pile. These independent growers employ 45,000 people, an entire sector will be decimated, leaving us reliant on imported plants from Europe.
This petition was rejected
Why was this petition rejected?
We can't publish petitions when the request is something that's already happening or something that has been announced since you started your petition.
We think your petition is covered by Government or Parliament action already. If you'd like something else, you could start a new petition clearly explaining what it is.
Since you started your petition the Government has added garden centres and plant nurseries to the list of businesses that are permitted to open: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.