Cuadrilla Bowland Ltd has applied to the Environment Agency for three relevant permits for their Preston New Road exploratory shale gas site at Little Plumpton, Lancashire.
As part of the exploration the company plans to carry out hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in 2015 to investigate the potential for shale gas.
Cuadrilla Bowland Ltd has applied to the Environment Agency for relevant permits for their Preston New Road exploratory shale gas site at Little Plumpton, Lancashire. As part of the exploration the company plans to carry out hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in 2015 to investigate the potential for shale gas.
One of the applications is for a groundwater activity which specifically covers an environmental permit “for the discharge, from oil and gas exploratory operations, of pollutants that might lead to an indirect input of those pollutants to groundwater.”
The other two permits are for onshore oil and gas exploratory operations and for radioactive substances activity respectively.
The Environment Agency has launched a public consultation and is now seeking views from the local community and interested groups on the applications. Deadline for responses is Tuesday 8 July 2014.
Steve Molyneux, Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
“Our regulatory controls for onshore oil and gas are in place to protect people and the environment. We will assess the company’s proposals to ensure they meet our strict requirements. As part of our assessment, we welcome comments from the public and interested groups on local environmental factors that may be important.”
Click here to access the consultation.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Barhale has completed work on two separate Rapid Action Taskforce Spills projects it is carrying out for Severn Trent.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.