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Wind Farms: Protected Peatland — [Sir Alec Shelbrooke in the Chair]
21 April 2026
Lead MP
Robbie Moore
Keighley and Ilkley
Con
Responding Minister
Chris McDonald
Tags
ClimateScotlandEnergyAgriculture & Rural Affairs
Word Count: 11644
Other Contributors: 9
At a Glance
Robbie Moore raised concerns about wind farms: protected peatland — [sir alec shelbrooke in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The Minister is asked why the Government permits such developments on protected peatland despite the lack of evidence regarding their environmental impact. The MP requests an extension of the statutory consultation period during local elections to allow for more public engagement and opposition against this scheme, given its detrimental effects on heritage landscapes.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The proposal for a wind farm development on protected peatland in Brontë country, straddling Haworth and Stanbury, would see up to 34 200-metre-high wind turbines erected. The peatland is over 9,000 years old and acts as a natural carbon store, capturing 26 times more carbon than forests in the UK. Disturbing this delicate ecosystem through road construction and infrastructure development would lead to subsidence, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere. Additionally, the wind farm poses threats to water quality, increasing flood risk and damaging local wildlife habitats.
Anna Dixon
Lab
Shipley
Ms Dixon announced that she and her constituents fro [3D [K from Shipley will be providing their views on the proposals shortly. Peatlands occupy about 12% of the UK land area, incl [4D [K including areas in Shipley. They store a whopping 3.2 billion tonnes of CO2 [3D [K CO2 and reduce flood risk. Bradford council has committed £200,000 to rewet [5D [K rewet moorland areas. The Labour Government are taking nature actions serio [5D [K seriously with plans to restore approximately 280,000ha of peatland in Engl [4D [K England by 2050. The shadow Minister was asked to clarify their party [5D [K party's position on net zero and the necessity of swiftly transitioning to [K clean energy to avoid nature damage.
David Chadwick
Liberal Democr [6D [K Democrat
Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe
Mid-Wales faces a wave of wind farm proposals that t [1D [K threaten unspoilt and environmentally sensitive areas. Peatlands are valuab [6D [K valuable ecosystems storing carbon and supporting biodiversity but damage t [1D [K to them can release emissions. There is evidence of ecological damage at ex [2D [K existing sites, such as the Garn Fach development in Powys. Proposed sites [K include Gilwern hill, Nant Mithil, Banc y Celyn, and Garreg Fawr, which hav [3D [K have unique archaeological and conservation value.
Greg Smith
Con
Mid Buckinghamshire
Smith criticised the Labour Government for prioritis [9D [K prioritising net zero targets over environmental protection, highlighting t [1D [K the contradiction between their promises to restore natural environments an [2D [K and allowing wind farm development on protected peatlands. He noted that gu [2D [K guidance instead of prohibition has led to the destruction of irreplaceable [13D [K irreplaceable habitats storing 3 billion tonnes of carbon. Smith also point [5D [K pointed out the government's failure to publish construction practices for [K wind farms on peatland before bulldozers arrived, undermining local consent [7D [K consent and democratic oversight.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
He emphasised the importance of peatlands in Norther [7D [K Northern Ireland, highlighting their role in environmental conservation and [3D [K and carbon sequestration. He expressed concern over the degradation of 86% [K of Northern Irish peatlands and warned that building turbines on these site [4D [K sites could further damage soil carbon pools, which account for 53% of all [K carbon stored in Northern Ireland's soil. Shannon supported Robbie Moore's [K initiative to protect undisturbed peatland from wind farm development and c [1D [K called for a balanced approach prioritising the restoration of degraded ind [3D [K industrial sites.
John Lamont
Conservati [11D [K (Conservative
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Mr Lamont emphasised the concerns about wind farm de [2D [K developments in his constituency, highlighting that developers often overst [6D [K overstate environmental benefits while ignoring the negative impacts on the [3D [K the local environment. Formally objects to new developments in his constitu [8D [K constituency due to environmental damage and asks the hon. Member to do the [3D [K the same for Calderdale wind farm.
Calder Valley
Supports the Government's commitment to rewilding an [2D [K and restoring peatland, noting it is managed by DEFRA. He expressed concern about the proposal to build Eng [3D [K England's largest wind farm on protected peatland, arguing that it would do [2D [K do more harm than good for carbon storage and release significant amounts o [1D [K of stored carbon. He cited research by the University of Aberdeen suggestin [9D [K suggesting developers should avoid building wind farms on peatland altogeth [8D [K altogether and highlighted inconsistencies in government policy. Fenton-Gly [10D [K Fenton-Glynn stressed the importance of joined-up Government action to addr [4D [K address climate change effectively, noting that DEFRA has committed £85 mil [3D [K million for restoring and managing peatlands while DESNZ signs off projects [8D [K projects like this without similar scrutiny.
Sammy Wilson
DUP
East Antrim
Mr Wilson questioned why decommissioning costs are n [1D [K not included in cost-benefit analyses for wind farms built in environmental [13D [K environmentally sensitive areas, as they are for nuclear power stations. Mr Wilson expressed concern about the destruction of [2D [K of peatlands caused by onshore wind farms, highlighting that 80% of UK peat [4D [K peatlands are degraded or damaged. He criticised the government's net zero [K policy for incentivising further wind farm development and pointed out that [4D [K that these projects often release more carbon dioxide than they save due to [2D [K to construction and material extraction processes.
Sarah Dyke
Lib Dem
Glastonbury and Somerton
Peatlands such as the Avalon marshes and the Somerse [7D [K Somerset levels and moors are globally rare ecosystems, holding 30% of the [K world's soil carbon. However, over 80% of UK peatlands have been damaged by [2D [K by past or present management, leading to increased emissions when exposed [K to the elements. Developing wind farms on undegraded peat risks further deg [3D [K degrading these valuable habitats and negating any reduction in carbon emis [4D [K emissions produced by those wind farms. Sarah Dyke highlighted inconsistenc [12D [K inconsistencies and weaknesses in current Government policy regarding wind [K farm developments on peatland.
Sue Hayman
Lab
Walton
The right hon. Member supports the points made by Ro [2D [K Robbie Moore regarding the negative impacts of the Calderdale wind farm dev [3D [K development and agrees that local communities do not want it.
Government Response
Chris McDonald
Government Response
The Government's ambition is to achieve clean power by 2030, which includes energy security and reduced reliance on fossil fuels. The Minister acknowledged the importance of investing in renewable sources such as solar, wind, nuclear, and small modular reactors. He noted that poorly sited onshore wind farms can impact local wildlife, heritage, and residents' sense of place but stated that strong checks and balances exist within the planning system to manage these impacts, including extensive up-front surveys and statutory assessments. The Minister mentioned that half of England's deep peat and a quarter of all England's peat soils are afforded special protection as irreplaceable habitats in the planning process. Specific guidance for onshore wind and peat is published in national policy statements used to assess the impacts of nationally significant infrastructure projects. EN-3, the national policy statement for renewable energy, guides developers to avoid peatland where possible and requires them to mitigate or compensate for any impacts if avoidance is not feasible. The Minister confirmed ongoing discussions with the Scottish Government about developing a carbon calculator tool similar to Scotland's for use in England.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.