Cuadrilla fracking hopes dashed by council planners

LICHFIELD fracking company Cuadrilla’s plans to explore for shale gas at two sites between Blackpool and Preston in Lancashire have suffered a major setback.

Lancashire County Council’s planning officer said likely noise levels at the Preston New Road and Roseacre Wood sites would have “significant adverse effects on health and quality of life” and recommended the council refuse permission when the plans are voted upon next week.

Cuadrilla had argued that its work would be within national noise guidelines and it does not understand why officials advised councillors to reject them.

Planning chiefs at the council also said the application for Roseacre Wood should be rejected on the grounds that up to 50 daily lorry movements to and from the site would have an unacceptable impact on road users, with “severe” reduction in safety.

The applications are the first for fracking in the UK since 2011.

Cuadrilla said it believed it had grounds to appeal what is likely to be a no vote next week.

The Government, which is backing the controversial fracking process, could also call in the decision for appeal itself – which could result in it overruling any council no vote. 

In a statement Cuadrilla said: “After an extraordinarily lengthy period of consultation and review of around seven months we are surprised that, at this late point, the planning team at Lancashire County Council has raised objections about background noise for both sites.”

Fracking uses water and chemicals to release gas by fracturing of the shale bed. Environmentalists argue this can cause water and air pollution and Cuadrilla’s test fracking in 2011 was linked to two earthquakes near Blackpool.