A public consultation has been launched on the extension of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) covering moorland across the Bradford district including Ilkley Moor.
Councillors on Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee, have approved the required public consultation to extend the order for a further three years.
The current PSPO, which bans the lighting of fires and barbecues as well as sky lanterns and fireworks on moorland across the Bradford district is due to expire on 30 June. The order is in place to protect these beautiful and wild greenspaces from the risk of wildfire which can be hugely damaging.
The order allows designated council officers to enforce any breaches of the PSPO with support from West Yorkshire Police and Fire and Rescue Service.
Since the initial PSPO was introduced in 2019, the Council has worked closely with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and other agencies to spread the message about the dangers of wildfire and the damage it can do.
This has been under the #BeMoorAware campaign which has been adopted across West Yorkshire and beyond with consistent messages, on-site signage and specific joint awareness raising events.
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport said:
“Our moorland areas are precious resources, and wildfire is a real risk especially during periods of dry weather.
“The impact of wildfire can be devastating resulting in the loss of habitat for a variety of moorland wildlife including internationally significant bird species, it increases air and water pollution and releases carbon into the atmosphere. There is also the risk to people and property and the loss of grazing land. The costs and effort required to deal with a wildfire is also significant and diverts the resources of our fire and rescue services and other agencies from other important work.
“The PSPO has been in place since 2019, and I’d encourage people to continue to support it.”
District Commander for Bradford Benjy Bush said
“We welcome the support of councillors on this matter as a deterrent, as we continue to discourage people taking BBQ's and other flammable objects onto our moorland.
“Moorland fires are some of the most intensive incidents we face as a service and can take a huge amount of resources to tackle, as well as causing widespread damage to the environment and wildlife. If you see a fire or someone using a BBQ on the moorland - call 999 and ask for FIRE.”
Information about the PSPO can be found on Bradford Council’s website: https://bradford.moderngov.co.uk/mgConsultationDisplay.aspx?ID=823.
The consultation ends on 25 May 2025.
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