Planning Officers Approve Cuadrilla Fracking Project in UK

Planning Officers Approve Cuadrilla Fracking Project in UK
Planning officers at Lancashire County Council have approved a proposed fracking project in the UK, according to a Cuadrilla statement.

Cuadrilla announced Monday that planning officers of Lancashire County Council have approved a proposed fracking project in the UK.

Plans to drill, fracture and flow test wells at Preston New Road, which were previously rejected, were tweaked in order to address concerns relating to night time noise. Cuadrilla’s proposed fracking scheme at Roseacre Wood was rejected however, due to issues relating to traffic routes.

Cuadrilla released the following statement on its website:

"We are pleased that Lancashire County Council’s Planning Officers have recommended that the Councils’ Development Control Committee grant planning consent for our application at Preston New Road. In January 2015, Officers recommended refusal at Preston New Road only on grounds of night-time noise and we duly submitted additional information on mitigation measures, which was publicly consulted on, to further bring down noise levels well below limits set out in government guidance.

"For our application at Roseacre Wood we supplied additional information regarding traffic routes which we and our expert advisers believe addressed issues which were raised in the Officer’s report in January. Whilst we remain confident that our original proposed route was adequate, the alternative route suggested also met with all necessary guidelines in our view. We are disappointed that Officer’s do not support this in their negative recommendation today, however we are pleased to note that as with Preston New Road, they are satisfied with all other aspects of the Roseacre Wood planning applications."

Cuadrilla confirmed back in January that it had won permits from the UK Environment Agency to carry out exploration at the Preston New Road and Roseacre Wood sites. The company has established a Community Liaison Group for both of the proposed exploration projects in Lancashire, in order to provide nearby residents with an opportunity to discuss any issues they may have. Councillors at Lancashire County Council are expected to reach a decision on the Preston New Road and Roseacre Wood applications by the end of June.

Responding to Cuadrilla's latest fracking news, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett commented in an organization release:

"It is disappointing that Lancashire County Council officers have recommended approval for one of the two proposed fracking sites, but this is only a technical judgment, which will anyway be open to challenge."



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