Reclassify garden centres as essential shops

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Review rules so that garden centres are reclassified as essential shops so they can open during the Covid 19 crisis

There is much evidence that gardening is extremely beneficial for good mental health even for people with no outside space. Simply having some houseplants or growing herbs on windowsills can provide people with much needed contact with nature. Growing things is wonderful for children. Garden centres also sell a wide range of other products which are now hard to buy elsewhere.....for eg, bird food, birthday cards, tools. It seems extraordinary that off licences can be classified as essential and garden centres not.

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/

Timeline

1 Apr 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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