Opponents of plans for an offshore wind farm have issued a defiant rallying call after a Tynwald petition was ruled ineligible for investigation by politicians.
Ian Strafford and Georgia O’Sullivan submitted the petition for redress of grievance, by No Offshore Turbines 4 Isle of Man (NOT4IOM), on Tynwald Day, using a process that is part of the ancient right for ordinary members of the public to ask politicians to investigate their concerns.
Proposals for the Mooir Vannin offshore wind farm have been greeted with a welter of opposition and claims that politicians have been gagged.
The petition referenced that: “Over 8,000 Manx residents have expressed their opposition to major offshore energy development within Manx territorial waters, specifically where it is intended to primarily benefit other jurisdictions.”
But it was one of a number of petitions submitted this year that were ruled out ruled from further consideration.
A statement says NOT4IOM is “disappointed” that the petition was not found in order.
But it adds: “This decision does not affect our public petition, which is separate from the petition for redress and remains open, with over 10,000 Manx residents having already signed it.
“The NOT4IOM public petition is now even more vital to ensuring the voice of the Manx public is heard.”
No Parliamentary Route
NOT4IOM says there is now no “parliamentary route” for the public to register concerns about Mooir Vannin.
“Every parliamentary door to scrutinise Mooir Vannin is closed until after the Council of Ministers has decided the application.
“Members of Tynwald cannot ask questions about the application itself while it is live, following the change to the sub judice rule in July 2025.”
Why Petition Was Ruled Out
The Standing Orders Committee ruled out the NOT4IOM petition because:
“ … it relates to a matter which could be adjudicated by a court, namely the existing consent process which it asks to be paused;
“and it refers to a matter the substance of which has been determined by Tynwald in the current session, namely whether certain future agreements for the use of territorial waters should by statute be subject to Tynwald approval – a principle which was debated in May 2026.”
When a Standing Orders Committee rules that a petition is not in order, that is not based on whether it agrees with the topic, just that it does not meet the rules for petitions for redress of grievance.
Even for those petitions this year that were found to meet the requirements for consideration, there is no guarantee of Tynwald action. It requires, subsequently, a Tynwald member to pick up the petition and table a motion seeking a select committee investigation.
And a select committee investigation does not guarantee a finding or outcome that the original petitioners sought.
What Next
An independent Examining Body is considering the Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm application by Ørsted. Public hearings were held last month and the body will report to the Council of Ministers with a recommendation
NOT4IOM says: “The independent examination is the sole remaining formal channel within the statutory process for collective public representation before the Council of Ministers determines the application.
“We will place the number (not personal details) of signatories to the public petition before the Examining Body at Deadline of the examination, on August 17.
“And we will keep the public petition open right up to the date of the CoMin determination which is likely to be December 2026 or early in 2027.”
Out of Order
In total, 13 of the 36 petitions for redress of grievance submitted at Tynwald on July 5 were ruled out of order.
You can read the Standing Orders Committee report, including the details of the petitions and rulings on them:
https://www.tynwald.org.im/spfile?file=/business/opqp/sittings/20212026/2026-PP-0132.pdf