Government to approve shale

In late June, local government officials in ​the ​North​ ​West rejected two applications to carry out hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, saying the projects would be too noisy and blight the landscape.

New rules, applicable immediately, will allow ​G​overnment intervention to approve or reject permits and will also mean appeals involving shale gas projects will be given priority.

Shale gas developer Cuadrilla Resources, whose applications were rejected in June, has already decided to appeal against its permit refusals.

Delays to the planning process had been too long, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Amber Rudd told BBC TV on Thursday.

“Local authorities are still going to be very much involved, but the Secretary for State for communities and local government will now have a increased role in making sure they stick to the planning timetable,” she added.

The ​G​overnment also said it would present proposals later this year to create a sovereign​ ​wealth fund from returns generated from shale gas production.

Shale developer IGas Energy said the move gave clarity on the timetable for determining planning decisions for shale oil and gas exploration.

Pro-business groups also welcomed the decision, saying it would help get shale gas projects up and running.

Britain is estimated to have substantial amounts of shale gas trapped in underground rocks and the government has been supportive of developing these reserves to counter declining North Sea oil and gas output.

However, progress has been slow because of opposition by local residents and environmental campaigners. Some are concerned about groundwater contamination from chemicals used in the process, while others fear the potential impact on property prices or tourism.

Some environmental groups said the ​G​overnment’s decision would shut out local communities from crucial decisions.

The ​G​overnment has treated onshore wind power differently. In May, it said it plans to transfer consenting power for large onshore wind from the energy minister to local planning authorities in England.

Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Caroline Flint, said this showed the ​G​overnment was “clearly guilty of double standards”.