Concerns have been raised about the location of a meeting to decide on plans for a gas drilling rig in Burniston, near Scarborough.
A local parish council and residents have urged North Yorkshire Council to ensure it facilitates public attendance when Europa Oil & Gas’ application for a 38m gas rig near Scarborough comes up for a decision.
NYC has not publicly announced a date for its strategic planning committee to discuss the application in Burniston, near Scarborough, which proposes the use of a “proppant squeeze” method to extract gas.
The proposal has received objections from more than 1,500 locals and is opposed by Labour MP Alison Hume and the county’s elected mayor, David Skaith. Europa Oil & Gas said its scheme would be positive for the local economy and “no one is going to notice” its presence.
A spokesperson for Burniston Parish Council said: “We believe the meeting will be held in Scarborough, a decision that we fully support, at a date still to be decided, possibly late January.
“Previously, North Yorkshire Council has used the town hall, a venue with very limited public viewing. We have seen previously that people are unable to attend planning meetings due to the numbers, as the town hall is too small.”
The parish council has recommended the use of Scarborough Spa as a venue for the planning meeting.
“As so many people have responded to the planning application, around 1,600 responses so far, this council believes that in the interests of allowing as many members of our communities to safely attend the strategic meeting as possible, a different venue is needed,” it added.
NYC committees have previously faced issues with the use of non-council facilities for their meetings.
The Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee has not recently been able to hold meetings in Whitby due to issues with audio accessibility in council-owned spaces and policies restricting the use of non-council venues for meetings.
Burniston Parish Council, which has written to North Yorkshire Council highlighting the issue, also urged members of the public to contact the council “if you would also prefer to see the Scarborough Spa used for this meeting”.
It said: “Remember that your voice counts, please let North Yorkshire Council know, either via the planning portal using the planning reference NY/2025/0030/ENV or by emailing them at planning.control@northyorks.gov.uk.”
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