North Yorkshire Council has ruled that a controversial plan for a gas drilling rig near Scarborough must come with an environmental assessment as it would have ‘a significant impact’ on the area.
Europa Oil and Gas must provide an environmental impact assessment (EIA) if it submits a full planning application for the drilling of a “lateral borehole” for “conventional gas exploration” in Burniston, Scarborough.
North Yorkshire Council’s decision on Friday, August 2, was welcomed by campaigners, many of whom have said the company’s plan represents “fracking by the backdoor”.
It comes despite the firm saying it did not believe an EIA would be necessary on the grounds that the “proposed development is not likely to have significant environmental effects” based on the “relatively short duration of the drilling operations”.
However, council planning officers concluded that the 30m high drilling rig “would have significant impacts upon the environment” as well as on local highway safety.
Submitted plans state that the construction, drilling and completion phases would generate 1,050 HGV movements at the site.
The location of the site in Burniston, near Scarborough’s heritage coast and the North York Moors National Park (NYMNP) was also highlighted by officers as areas of concern.
A council report states that the rig would be “highly visible from the surrounding area, including the coast road” with the Cinder Track 360 metres away and the nearest boundary of the NYMNP 800 metres away.
Planning officers said that the proposed development “would have the potential for significant impact on the scenic value of the heritage coast and impact on the amenity of the local area”.
Europa Oil and Gas has said that in order to determine the potential reserves of gas, it will be necessary to undertake a proppant squeeze” which would take up to 17 weeks, with further flow testing of 15 weeks.
More than a hundred residents recently attended a meeting of Burniston Parish Council to “unanimously” oppose the plan.
Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, has strongly opposed the scheme and written to the Government asking it to tighten legislation.
She said the application was “seeking to get around” a legal moratorium on fracking by “proposing a version of fracking called a ‘proppant squeeze’ which uses less water”.
The council’s decision requiring the EIA stated that the development could seriously impact highway safety for vehicles “especially during the tourist season when the number of vehicles using the A165 Coast Road increases significantly.”
The authority also noted that the drilling was likely to create noise and dust as well as the potential for “vibration impacts.”
North Yorkshire Council’s decision concluded that the environmental statement – which would be required with a planning application – should include a “focus on mitigation against potential environmental impacts and a high-quality restoration scheme”.
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