Peat bog owner’s compensation claim faces delay

HORTICULTURAL supplies firm William Sinclair Holdings said the agency due to compensate it for it ceasing operations at a Cumbrian peat bog has asked for an extension to a claim deadline.

The firm had reached an agreement with Natural England to stop excavating soil from its Bolton Fell peat bog operations in Cumbria by November 2013. An advance compensation claim of £9m has already been paid and a timetable was also fixed to assess what future comensation was due to Lincoln-based William Sinclair.

Natural England was set to provide a counter offer to william Sinclair’s compensation bid by the end of the month, but has now asked for a further six weeks to provide a counter offer.

If a deal is not agreed between the two parties by November 30, either side had the right to refer the matter to the Land Tribunal. However, William Sinclair has agreed to grant a six week extension to Natural England on the basis that it agrees to push back its right to refer the matter to the Land Tribunal for six weeks.

William Sinclair’s board said that it believed the delay “will have no practical impact on the overall settlement date or compensation figure”.