West Sussex County Council are due to debate a residents’ petition this morning calling on the Council to declare West Sussex a ‘Frack-Free Zone.’

On Wednesday Celtique Energie Weald Ltd and its joint investment partner Magellan Petroleum (UK) Ltd confirmed that it will appeal the decision by the County Council to refuse planning permission for a temporary exploration well near the villages of Kirdford and Wisborough Green.

Residents of Wisborough Green and Kirdford set up a petition on the council website which has now received over 3,500 signatures of support from local people. The council is obliged to discuss the petition and will hear from the lead petitioner this morning at a full council meeting.

Celtique said that having given due consideration to the planning and legal merits of WSCC’s decision, in the company’s view the reasons for rejecting the application are “fundamentally unsound.”

Celtique will now lodge an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate which will appoint an independent planning inspector to review WSCC’s decision. The inspector will then either make a ruling on the appeal or make a recommendation to the Secretary of State.

Geoff Davies, Chief Executive Officer at Celtique Energie said:

“We are firmly of the view that WSCC has not followed the spirit or the letter of Government policy or good practice in dealing with this planning application, which is totally compliant, comprehensive and of high quality. Therefore we have no option but to lodge an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate, for it to take a fair and objective view.”

“From our detailed studies we believe that this is an optimal location to undertake exploratory drilling to quantify the amount of untapped oil or gas resources present in this part of the Weald Basin, which we think has the potential to be nationally significant. Therefore securing planning permission to explore at this site is essential if we are to prove how significant this resource could be for the country.”

West Sussex is in the frontline of fracking as it sits above the Weald Basin, which contains some of England’s most significant shale deposits.

Brenda Pollack, Friends of the Earth South East Campaigner commented:

“People across the county are deeply concerned about companies applying to destroy their peace and beautiful countryside with industrial drilling applications. Residents are saying loudly and clearly that they don’t want fracking here and West Sussex Councillors must listen to public opinion. “

“National Parks and ‘outstanding landscapes’ are meant to be protected from fracking, according to the Government, and that means much of West Sussex should be ruled out.”

Council Leader, Louise Goldsmith has written twice to the Prime Minister, the second time after  meeting residents during the Balcombe anti-fracking protests.

Cuadrilla Balcombe Ltd has also been given permission for further testing works at Balcombe although this has been put on hold while residents pursue a judicial review of the decision.

Click here to watch the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee short inquiry into Defra's responsibility for fracking. Elizabeth Truss MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Dr Paul Leinster, Chief Executive, Environment Agency were appearing before the Committee.