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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 de [2D [K developments on protected peatland despite the lack of evidence regarding t [1D [K their environmental impact. The MP requests an extension of the statutory c [1D [K consultation period during local elections to allow for more public engagem [7D [K engagement and opposition against this scheme, given its detrimental effect [6D [K 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 protecte [8D [K protected peatland in Brontë country, straddling Haworth and Stanbury, woul [4D [K would see up to 34 200-metre-high wind turbines erected. The peatland is ov [2D [K over 9,000 years old and acts as a natural carbon store, capturing 26 times [5D [K times more carbon than forests in the UK. Disturbing this delicate ecosyste [8D [K ecosystem through road construction and infrastructure development would le [2D [K lead to subsidence, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere. Additional [10D [K Additionally, the wind farm poses threats to water quality, increasing floo [4D [K 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 [5D [K power by 2030, which includes energy security and reduced reliance on fossi [5D [K fossil fuels. The Minister acknowledged the importance of investing in rene [4D [K renewable sources such as solar, wind, nuclear, and small modular reactors. [9D [K reactors. He noted that poorly sited onshore wind farms can impact local wi [2D [K wildlife, heritage, and residents' sense of place but stated that strong ch [2D [K checks and balances exist within the planning system to manage these impact [6D [K impacts, including extensive up-front surveys and statutory assessments. Th [2D [K The Minister mentioned that half of England's deep peat and a quarter of al [2D [K all England's peat soils are afforded special protection as irreplaceable h [1D [K habitats in the planning process. Specific guidance for onshore wind and pe [2D [K peat is published in national policy statements used to assess the impacts [K of nationally significant infrastructure projects. EN-3, the national polic [5D [K policy statement for renewable energy, guides developers to avoid peatland [K where possible and requires them to mitigate or compensate for any impacts [K if avoidance is not feasible. The Minister confirmed ongoing discussions wi [2D [K with the Scottish Government about developing a carbon calculator tool simi [4D [K 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.