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Sites under Threat: Scotts and English Nature complete UK's largest ever peatland regeneration deal
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Submitted by Andy B on Friday, 15 March 2002 Page Views: 1225
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  The Scotts Company has agreed the early handover of the largest ever area of UK peatland to English Nature for regeneration. The agreement will secure a total of 1,526 hectares of peat moors in South Yorkshire and Cumbria as National Nature Reserves - an area about the equivalent in size to 2,180 football pitches.
In past few years Scott's has handed over 1,280 hectares which is now National Nature Reserve. With the handing over of the final 1,526 hectares of land, peat digging at sites in Thorne Moors, South Yorkshire and Wedholme Flow, Cumbria will cease immediately. At Hatfield Moors, extraction will cease on half of the moor with the remainder being handed over to English Nature by 2004.
The agreement will also see Scotts, in close collaboration with English Nature's conservation experts, employing its industry-leading restoration expertise on all three sites to ensure the harvested areas are returned to raised mire status. This phased process will help maintain employment at the Hatfield factory.
Scotts UK Managing Director Nick Kirkbride commented: " We are delighted that Scotts and English Nature have been able to find a way to resolve this issue. Our priority has always been to ensure that a responsible outcome was reached and this is an example of how industry, government and voluntary conservation bodies can work effectively together to ensure a sensible outcome to a sensitive and complex issue. This agreement now allows a total of 1,526 hectares of peat land to be turned fully into National Nature Reserves quickly and cost effectively."
"This is a great day for conservation in the UK and marks the largest ever corporate handover of peatland sites by a commercial organisation in the UK and further underlines the hard work Scotts has undertaken to ensure we continue to accommodate and prioritise the needs of the environment. It also signals a transition towards new, effective and sustainable growing media, where peat diluents and peat alternative products will become ever more popular, for growing beautiful plants and vegetables."
Andy Brown, acting Chief Executive of English Nature, said: " We welcome today's announcement, bringing, as it does, an opportunity for one of the largest and most exciting habitat restoration projects anywhere in the country. The securing of the final part of 1,526 hectares of peatland to be restored and established as nature reserves is fantastic news for the environment, without prejudicing those people who rely on peat, or affecting local employment. The agreement announced today will ensure that very real environmental benefits are realised - especially on the English peat extraction issue. We look forward to working with a range of organisations to turn these sites into major visitor attractions in Cumbria and South Yorkshire, of immense value to the local community, tourism and the economy."
Under the agreement English Nature will pay Scotts £17 million for Scotts' interests at the three sites. Scotts will carry out the restoration process at the three sites, employing techniques that will see the land returned to its original status of active raised bogs. This restoration work, as well as other manufacturing work at Hatfield, will ensure that any change to employment levels will be minimised.
The three sites involved in the announcement are Hatfield Moor, Doncaster, South Yorkshire; Thorne Moors, Doncaster, South Yorkshire; and Wedholme Flow, Carlisle, Cumbria.
English Nature
Note: I've just found out another side to this story - read the comment...
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| "Scotts and English Nature complete UK's largest ever peatland regeneration deal" | Login/Create an Account | 1 comment |
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Hatfield Moor is still under threat! (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Friday, 15 March 2002 | Along with Friends of the Earth from Leeds and some groups from other
areas of the UK, we've also arranged a four day demonstration on Hatfield
moor. It will be held on 25th to 28th March and basically (hope you're not
squeamish) we're planning to blocade Scott's main access off the moors at
their busiest time of the year. We're also going to have a camp where anyone
is welcome, we're going to set up a kitchen and give training in filling in
drainage ditches etc. There will be loads of people there to talk about
what's going on, and hopefully evening entertainment (by this I don't mean
getting arrested, hopefully)
We'll kick it all off by meeting at 12:00 at the Green tree pub, Epworth
Road near hatfield (grid ref SE683097) with banners, and lots of noise!! If
anyone is even vaguely interested then they can get hold of me by email, or
check out the website www.peatalert.org.uk
Thank you so so much for any help you can give, letting people know that
Hatfield Moor is still in danger and needs protecting now is just amazing.
Kim xx
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