Residents to lobby planning committee as Burniston fracking application finally heard
Frack Free Coastal Communities and Frack Free Scarborough are urging residents to attend a lobby outside North Yorkshire Council's strategic planning committee meeting at 12 pm (midday) on 24th April.
The lobby will call on councillors to reject Europa Oil & Gas's application to frack at Burniston. The planning application, originally scheduled for decision in January, has attracted more than 1,600 objections from local residents, local MP Alison Hume, parish councils including Burniston, Cloughton, Newby & Scalby and Scarborough Town Councils, and Friends of the Earth, among others Professor Chris Garforth of Frack Free Coastal Communities said: "Councillors have a clear choice: reject this scheme – or ignore the voices of the 1,600+ objectors who refuse to let our community become a testing ground for the serious risks to health, homes, environment and climate that fracking brings." He also highlighted serious concerns about the planning process itself. A formal complaint submitted by the group is being escalated to stage two of the council's complaints procedure. "This only strengthens our call for councillors to reject this application," he added. John Atkinson from Frack Free Scarborough added: "We call on everyone who cares about Burniston, Scalby, and Cloughton, about our coastal communities and about climate change, to join us on 24th April.
“Councillors need to see and hear the strength of opposition to this plan.
“This is our chance to make our voices impossible to ignore."
A spokesperson for Europa Gas and Oil said: “The proposed development in terms of planning is very straight forward. The development is temporary in nature and is for a single appraisal well to test a gas accumulation, something which has been delivered safely and in an environmentally sound manner many times historically in the UK.
“The planning application has been put forward for approval by the Council’s officers.
“Concerns with respect to elements of the operational procedures associated with the development, such as the proposed proppant squeeze, a small volume hydraulic fracture, fall outside of development planning and will be dealt with under national regulations and authorities.” North Yorkshire Council has also been approached for comment.