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Closed Amend the Planning & Infrastructure Bill to ban wind farms on protected peatland

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We want the government to amend its Planning & Infrastructure Bill to:
1. Ban wind farms on peatland in the National Site Network and SSSIs in England, and
2. Require the restoration to good conservation status of peatland’s interlinked mosaic of habitats, including irreplaceable blanket bog.

We believe these amendments are needed to protect peatland’s ecological integrity: benefiting climate, biodiversity, water quality and flood risk mitigation. We think that new energy policy statements increase safeguards for peatland, but aren't enough, and still greenlight development on shallower peat - which science warns against. There are concerns that the Sec of State may ignore potential damage to protected sites and approve 'Critical National Priority' windfarms on peatland subject to “compensation” - which we believe is impossible in a near timeframe.

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  • Petition closed

  • Related activity

    Government responds to petition on Peatland protection

    The Government has responded to a public (paper) petition calling for a special development strategy in relation to peatlands as part of any new planning framework and legislation. The petition was presented to the House of Commons by Esther McVey MP on behalf of residents of Tatton.

    The petition asks the House of Commons to urge the Government to require a special development strategy in relation to peatlands as part of any new planning framework and legislation.

    In response to the petition's request, the Government states it recognises the importance of protecting peatlands for future generations. Peatland restoration helps mitigate climate change, boost biodiversity, and reduce flooding. A recent ban on burning heather and grass on peat deeper than 30 cm protects an area the size of Devon, and £85 million will be invested in peat outcomes between 2026 and 2030. Planning policy already safeguards irreplaceable habitats like blanket bogs and lowland fens, allowing development impacts only in exceptional cases. Local nature recovery strategies are being prepared across England to set priorities, including peatland restoration. While the Government will not produce spatial development strategies, these will be created by strategic authorities and must consider local nature recovery strategies, including peatland proposals, and may set additional peatland protection policies.

    What are public (paper) petitions?

    A public (paper) petition is a petition to the House of Commons presented by an MP.

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  • Petition published

    This petition can now be signed.

    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 13 April 2026.