Burniston gas drilling application delayed at last minute after government intervenes
A meeting to discuss controversial plans for a gas drilling rig in North Yorkshire has been postponed at the last minute for the government to consider call-in requests.
North Yorkshire Council said tomorrow’s meeting would be postponed after the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government asked for the delay while the Secretary of State considers requests for the call-in.
Planning officers recommended approval of the plans by Europa Oil and Gas, despite more than 1,500 objections ahead of a meeting, which should have been held on Friday.
The company wants to install a 38m tall drilling rig on land in Burniston, near Scarborough.
The oil and gas company, which proposes using a controversial “proppant squeeze” method to extract the gas, previously said there is “no justification for delaying a decision on the application”.
The firm has said the site, near the North York Moors National Park, is a “potentially significant gas resource” and, if further approvals were granted, extraction could take place for “about 20 years”.
However it has faced a large number of objections, including from Friends of the Earth and Scarborough MP Alison Hume.
Residents in the area, including farmers, have said they are seriously concerned by the potential environmental impacts of the proposal, including on underground waterways.
North Yorkshire Council’s assistant chief executive, Barry Khan, said: “We can confirm that the strategic planning committee meeting which was due to be held at 1.30pm on Friday, January 30, at Scarborough Town Hall has been postponed.
“The meeting was set for councillors to consider a planning application from Europa Oil and Gas which seeks permission to construct a temporary wellsite to assess the potential for natural gas at a site close to Burniston, near Scarborough.
“A number of interested parties have written to the Planning Inspectorate requesting that the application be called in for determination by the Secretary of State.
"Yesterday (Wednesday, January 28) we received correspondence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government asking that no decision is issued in this case while the Secretary of State considers these requests.
“The decision to postpone the meeting has been made as a result of this correspondence, as well as discussions with councillors who sit on the strategic planning committee.
"We will not be in a position to set a new date for the committee until we receive confirmation from the Planning Inspectorate on whether the application is to be called in.
“As this is a live planning application, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this stage.”