North Yorkshire County Council’s planning committee has approved Third Energy’s application to undertake fracking for shale gas near the village of Kirby Misperton.
Advertisement
The application was passed despite the presence of hundreds of protestors, who gathered outside County Hall in Northallerton throughout the hearing which began on Friday.
In recent years the battle over fracking has focused partly on Lancashire, where test drilling was found to be linked to minor earthquakes, and councillors rejected two further fracking applications.
Opponents claim it can cause water contamination, earthquakes, noise and traffic pollution.
The report said: “In this particular case it has been concluded that the degree of conflict with policies in the development plan is not sufficient to justify refusal of the application”.
She said: “We have fought and will continue to fight fracking for the sake of our children, grandchildren, and future generations”.
The Government has previously said it is going “all out for shale”, and believes the hydraulic fracturing technique can boost the UK’s energy security and economy.
Ryedale District Councillor Di Keal said: “This is a shocking and frankly outrageous decision that flies in the face of local people’s views as well as those of Ryedale District Council where this site is situated, every town council in the district and many parish councils”.
Understandably, the idea that this picturesque corner of North Yorkshire could become the centre of the fracking industry raises concerns about the resultant impact on the surrounding environment and the tourist industry which is its lifeblood.
Friends of the Earth and Frack Free Ryedale said they would be seeking legal advice and launched a People’s Declaration in a bid to stop fracking.
He said some opposition was based on “emotions” rather than “genuine planning reasons”, and he was confident in the safety assurances given by Third Energy and the Environment Agency.
He said: “We have not taken any short-cuts in making this application”. I know that this not a decision that they have taken lightly, especially given the technical complexities and number of presentations made.
The U.K. may have as much as 26 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable shale gas, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in 2013, or about nine years of the nation’s gas consumption.
“The industry is in its very earliest stages of development and the Kirby Misperton site is not representative of the exploration and appraisal programme that must be followed to determine whether or not shale gas is commercially viable”.
“We resolve to protect our communities and the future of the planet”.
Advertisement
Throughout the meeting, protesters armed with placards saying “Don’t Frack Yorkshire” could be heard shouting, banging drums and blowing horns in the sunshine outside.
