Released January 30, 2015 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - The first major shale gas drilling operation in the U.K. has been delayed following a decision by Lancashire county Council to defer its final decision for two months.
The deferment comes a week after planners at the council recommended that permission for the two exploratory wells near Blackpool being sought by shale gas company, Cuadrilla Resources Ltd (Lichfield, England), should not be granted. They claimed that the projects would create too much night-time noise and generate too much traffic. Exploring for shale gas involves the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking', which sees a mix of water and chemicals injected at very high pressures into the shale in order to crack it and release pockets of gas.
Cuadrilla applied to the council to defer its final decision on the projects in order to address the planning issues. The planner's recommendations are a blow to the projects coming at the same time that the Environment Agency granted the necessary environmental permits for the proposed projects. For additional information, see January 22, 2015, article - Cuadrilla Wins U.K. Shale Exploration Permits.
The council said that it had "resolved to defer their decisions" on the planning applications relating to sites at Preston New Road and Roseacre Wood "in light of the submission of further information by the applicant."
Chair of the planning committee and council member, Munsif Dad, explained: "During the meeting members heard legal advice that supported the request for deferral, which will enable time for consultation on the new information provided by the applicant. We will reconvene as soon as we can to consider the decisions in light of the new information when it is presented to the committee. Everyone who has registered to speak for or against the applications will be invited back to do so at that time. Clearly as the planning applications remain live the council is unable to comment further at this stage."
Cuadrilla issued a statement: "The additional information we have provided on further mitigation measures will, we believe, fully address the noise and traffic concerns raised by the Planning Officer's in their recommendation to refuse planning permission for both sites. This additional information will be assessed by the Planning Officers and there will now be an opportunity for the public to properly review and comment on this. We remain committed to the exploration of shale gas in Lancashire."
The U.K. government is fully behind a nationwide drive to exploit any shale gas resources. It has set out legislation to cut the red tape delaying the roll out of exploratory projects and promised significant tax breaks for potential shale gas investors. For additional information, see May 30, 2014, article - U.K. to Speed-Up Shale Gas Access.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and nine international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.
The deferment comes a week after planners at the council recommended that permission for the two exploratory wells near Blackpool being sought by shale gas company, Cuadrilla Resources Ltd (Lichfield, England), should not be granted. They claimed that the projects would create too much night-time noise and generate too much traffic. Exploring for shale gas involves the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking', which sees a mix of water and chemicals injected at very high pressures into the shale in order to crack it and release pockets of gas.
Cuadrilla applied to the council to defer its final decision on the projects in order to address the planning issues. The planner's recommendations are a blow to the projects coming at the same time that the Environment Agency granted the necessary environmental permits for the proposed projects. For additional information, see January 22, 2015, article - Cuadrilla Wins U.K. Shale Exploration Permits.
The council said that it had "resolved to defer their decisions" on the planning applications relating to sites at Preston New Road and Roseacre Wood "in light of the submission of further information by the applicant."
Chair of the planning committee and council member, Munsif Dad, explained: "During the meeting members heard legal advice that supported the request for deferral, which will enable time for consultation on the new information provided by the applicant. We will reconvene as soon as we can to consider the decisions in light of the new information when it is presented to the committee. Everyone who has registered to speak for or against the applications will be invited back to do so at that time. Clearly as the planning applications remain live the council is unable to comment further at this stage."
Cuadrilla issued a statement: "The additional information we have provided on further mitigation measures will, we believe, fully address the noise and traffic concerns raised by the Planning Officer's in their recommendation to refuse planning permission for both sites. This additional information will be assessed by the Planning Officers and there will now be an opportunity for the public to properly review and comment on this. We remain committed to the exploration of shale gas in Lancashire."
The U.K. government is fully behind a nationwide drive to exploit any shale gas resources. It has set out legislation to cut the red tape delaying the roll out of exploratory projects and promised significant tax breaks for potential shale gas investors. For additional information, see May 30, 2014, article - U.K. to Speed-Up Shale Gas Access.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and nine international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.
