Category Archives: Ban the Burn News

Thanks to the 349 people who signed #BanTheBurn petition

Posted on by
Reply

Thanks to the 349 people who signed the Ban the Burn petition (including one enthusiastic or forgetful person who signed it twice!).

The petition calls on Natural England and Defra to ban heather burning and drainage ditches on blanket bogs, and stop loopholes in the Heather and Grass Burning Code, and other relevant regulations and laws, that can be used to create exemptions to the ban on burning and draining blanket bogs.

I’ve now posted the petition (with all 12 pages of the list of signatories) to Andrew Wood, Executive Director Evidence and Policy at Natural England, and George Eustice MP, Defra Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for farming, food and marine environment.
Continue reading →

Two cheers for Natural England’s plan to phase out blanket bog burning

Posted on by
1

Hebden Bridge flood activist group Ban the Burn has raised two cheers for Natural England’s new guidance that restoration of all degraded blanket bog is possible and that landowners should phase out blanket bog burning because of the damage it causes.

The group is sending Natural England its comments on the draft guidance, and hopes that as many people as possible who are affected by the way blanket bogs are managed will also read the draft guidance (embedded further down this page) and email their views in to Natural England.
Continue reading →

UK government stonewalls EU investigation into blanket bog burning

Posted on by
3

The EU Commission has invited Hebden Bridge campaigners to comment on findings from the first stage of its investigation into Natural England’s 2012 management agreement and Higher Level Stewardship agreement with Walshaw Moor Estate Ltd (WMEL).

Both agreements cover Walshaw Moor Estate Ltd ’s intensified use of the moors for its grouse shooting business.

Continue reading →

EU environmental law enforcement

Aside

Reply

Since Ban the Burn submitted a formal complaint to the European Union Environment Directorate-General, I wondered how many complaints the EU actually follows up with either prosecutions of governments and agencies that infringe EU Habitats and Birds Directives, and other environmental legislation.

Here is is list of environmental infringement cases that the EU has taken action on recently, in case anyone else is curious too.

 

Hebden Bridge residents will have opportunity to help develop new Uplands guidance

Posted on by
Reply

Last October over 90 Hebden Bridge residents signed a letter which the campaign group Ban the Burn sent as the residents’ submission to Natural England’s Uplands Evidence Review (UER).

The residents’ letter urged Natural England to ban burning and draining on Walshaw Moor Estate blanket bog, in order to allow degraded blanket bog to recover. Active blanket bog slows run off from the tops, and so has an significant role to play in reducing flooding in Hebden Bridge.
Continue reading →

Natural England Report shows conservation laws fail to protect blanket bog areas from burning damage

Posted on by
Reply

The 2012 Report Burning on Deep Peat and Bog habitat in England: Reconciliation and re-examination of results from English Nature Research Reports 667, 698 and unpublished data, which we are making public here as the result of an Environmental Information Regulations request, presents the shocking conclusion that

“the voluntary [Heather and Grass Burning] code, Natural England management agreements, and site designation are having little demonstrable effect in protecting either bog or blanket peat areas from fire use.” 

Continue reading →

How many European-protected sites have Natural England’s Consent to burn blanket bog?

Posted on by
Reply

I have sent Natural England an Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) request, (RFI 1870) to find out about Natural England’s Appropriate Assessments, Consents and Environmental Stewardship Agreements that cover blanket bog burning on Natura 2000 sites across England.

(To see what these terms mean, please skip to the end of this post.)

This follows Ban the Burn’s complaint to the European Commission about Natural England’s “probably unlawful” Consent to Walshaw Moor Estate’s blanket bog burning on the European-protected South Pennine Moors site.
Continue reading →

Ban The Burn On Blanket Bogs online petition needs 65 more signatures

Posted on by
Reply

Please sign the online Ban The Burn petition, if you haven’t already. 335 people already have, and we only need another 65 signatures. Then we will present the petition to Natural England and Defra.

This is what the petition asks:

BAN THE BURN ON BLANKET BOGS

Continue reading →

Watershed landscape is key to environmental, social and economic development decisions

Posted on by
Reply

The Aarhus Convention guarantees the public’s right to information about, and participation in environmental decision-making by public bodies. 

As a member of the public, Fiona Hesselden attended the 29th January Pennine Prospects/Natural England Workshop on Working with National Character Areas : Profiles in Practice .

She reports on it here.

Continue reading →

Opportunity to raise Ban the Burn position at free Natural England workshop, Tuesday 29th Jan

Posted on by
Reply

Ban the Burn! members and supporters might like to attend the free South Pennines National Character Area Profiles Workshop. This Pennine Prospects/Natural England workshop is about how the South Pennines Watershed Landscape Project has been influenced by Natural England’s update of the South Pennines National Character Area (NCA) profile.

The workshop takes place on Tuesday 29th January, 10am-2pm, at Hebden Bridge Town Hall. It is free, with lunch provided, and open to all, but you need to book in advance by emailing robin.gray@pennineprospects.co.uk or phoning 01422 847612, or 07582 101319.

Speakers include Nancy Stedman, Natural England Senior Adviser and Robin Gray, Watershed Landscape Project Manager Continue reading →