Petition · past parliament
Allow garden centres to remain open during the coronavirus crisis
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
We earnestly request that the Government should consider allowing
garden centres and nurseries to remain open during the current
coronavirus crisis, with the restrictions on visits, customer numbers
and social distancing currently in place for other retail outlets allowed
to remain open.
garden centres and nurseries to remain open during the current
coronavirus crisis, with the restrictions on visits, customer numbers
and social distancing currently in place for other retail outlets allowed
to remain open.
In the current crisis, gardening is one of the very few recreational
activities still available to the public. It is widely acknowledged to be beneficial to physical, mental and emotional health. The keenest gardeners tend to be among the elderly - those who are currently under the greatest restrictions. Encouraging the growing of produce may be beneficial if food shortages start to happen. If a large number of garden centres fail, it will impact gardening in this country for years to come.
activities still available to the public. It is widely acknowledged to be beneficial to physical, mental and emotional health. The keenest gardeners tend to be among the elderly - those who are currently under the greatest restrictions. Encouraging the growing of produce may be beneficial if food shortages start to happen. If a large number of garden centres fail, it will impact gardening in this country for years to come.
Why it was rejected
The UK Government or Parliament was already taking the action it asked for.
Since you started your petition the Government has added garden centres and plant nurseries to the list of businesses that are permitted to open: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
Timeline
| 31 Mar 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 18 May 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
18 May 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.