Members of Lancashire County Council's Development Control Committee yesterday voted to refuse the application by oil and gas company Cuadrilla to explore for shale gas at Roseacre Wood by drilling, hydraulically fracking and testing the flow of gas.
The committee approved a separate application for the same site to enable Cuadrilla to monitor its operations.
The application for Roseacre Wood was refused in line with officers' recommendations that the proposal would have an unacceptable and potentially severe impact on the road network, both in terms of traffic and the increased danger to other road users.
Lancashire councillors are due to further consider the Preston application when they meet next Monday. If Cuadrilla get the go-ahead, it would be the first time that fracking for shale gas has been allowed in the UK since 2011.
Commenting on the refusal, Cuadrilla said it was “disappointed but not surprised” that Lancashire County Council’s Development Control Committee had denied planning consent for the Roseacre Wood application following a negative recommendation by the Council’s Planning Officers. The company is now taking time to consider its options, including the right to appeal.
A statement issued by Cuadrilla said:
“We completed the most comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessments ever carried out for operations of this kind. These Assessments are the product of thousands of hours of work from independent expert environmental scientists and other engineering specialists and they demonstrate beyond question that the operations can and will be conducted safely and without damage to people’s health or their environment. This view was supported by the Planning Officer’s report which only cited traffic concerns as a potential issue.”
“If we can unlock this shale gas potential it will help create jobs, generate economic growth, help fuel and heat local businesses and homes and boost local tax revenues for Lancashire.”
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