Peat
13.16 The upland areas of the Pennines contain abundant resources of peat that provide a rich, distinctive and increasingly rare habitat for a range of plant and animal species. Peat deposits that are of ecological interest with designations such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Sites of Ecological or Geological Interest, Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation cover parts of the upland areas of the District. These upland peat areas contribute to the landscape character of the District and are recognised as important but vulnerable habitats that can be easily harmed or even destroyed. Peat on moorland is an important carbon ‘sink’ and the degradation and removal of it will result in green house gasses being released to the atmosphere. Peat is also of importance to the horticultural industry, but so far deposits in the District have not been commercially exploited. Government policy set out in MPG13 ‘Guidelines for Peat Provision’ (1995) stresses that nature conservation should be given considerable weight when peat proposals are considered. MPG13 also states that in future the extraction of peat should be restricted to areas that have already been significantly damaged by human activity and are of little or no conservation interest. In the interests of landscape protection, protection of archaeological remains in peat bogs and nature conservation the following Policy will apply:-
Policy M 7
Peat
Proposals for the commercial extraction of peat and other activities that diminish the resource will not be permitted where the development would adversely affect the landscape character, archaeology and ecology of the Pennine uplands especially in areas designated for their nature conservation importance. Proposals for peat extraction will not be permitted unless the site has already been significantly damaged by recent human activity and is of limited or no nature conservation or archaeological value and wherever possible, the subsequent restoration of such sites should give priority to wetland rehabilitation and to the enhancement of the nature conservation resource.