The campaign group No Offshore Turbines 4 Isle of Man (NOT4IOM) says the decision means campaigners now have ‘no parliamentary route’ to raise concerns about the proposed development while the planning process remains ongoing.
The petition, presented on Tynwald Day by Ian Strafford and Georgina O'Sullivan on behalf of thousands of supporters, called for a review of Government policy on leasing the island's seabed for offshore wind development.
However, it was one of 13 petitions ruled out of order by the Standing Orders Committee. The committee's report will be considered by Tynwald at its October sitting.
Responding to the decision, NOT4IOM said it was ‘disappointed’ but stressed the ruling did not reflect the committee's view on the merits of the petition.
In a statement, the group said: ‘The Standing Orders Committee's report is clear that a finding that a petition is “not in order” does not mean the Committee disagrees with it.’
The campaign claims the decision leaves residents without a parliamentary mechanism to scrutinise the Mooir Vannin application before a decision is made by the Council of Ministers.
It said: ‘Every parliamentary door to scrutinise Mooir Vannin is closed until after the Council of Ministers has decided the application.’
The group said its separate public petition, which it says has now attracted more than 10,000 signatures, has become ‘even more vital’ in demonstrating public opposition to the scheme.
According to the campaign, the Standing Orders Committee ruled the petition out of order because it sought to pause a process that could ultimately be decided by the courts and because Tynwald had already voted in May not to require its approval for agreements such as the Ørsted Agreement for Lease.
NOT4IOM says it intends to submit the total number of petition signatures to the independent Examining Body on August 17 and will keep the petition open until the Council of Ministers reaches a decision, expected in late 2026 or early 2027.
It was one of 13 out of the 36 found not to meet the requirements to proceed.
The traditional process allows members of the public to present petitions directly to the Lieutenant Governor, and if deemed to be in order, they can then be considered by Tynwald if an MHK chooses to take them forward.
It’s a centuries-old democratic tradition allowing people to directly petition Tynwald to raise concerns, highlight grievances or call for change, through either public petitions or petitions for redress.
A report on the petitions will be laid before Tynwald during its October sitting.
The largest number of rejected petitions came from regular petitioner Trevor Cowin, who submitted 11 petitions this year.
Of those, nine were ruled out of order, including petitions relating to interested person status, complaints involving the Tynwald Commissioner for Administration and Information Commissioner, and previous petitions submitted in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Mr Cowin did have two petitions accepted, relating to Glenfaba House and the public speaking scheme.
Stephen Holmes’s petition relating to family court proceedings was also rejected, while a petition from Arwid Hall concerning public procurement did not meet the committee’s requirements.