Fear of water contamination has prompted residents in Sandwich, Kent, to press for a fracking site planning application to be reviewed.
The move, which concerns a proposed exploratory drilling operation at Woodnesborough, follows the withdrawal of similar applications by Coastal Oil & Gas in three nearby villages because it could not supply adequate information on the impact of drilling on the water supply. All four drilling applications had been approved in 2011.
The call to review the Woodnesborough drilling approval was heard and defeated at Sandwich Town Council. Had the fracking opponents succeeded, the town council would have notified Kent County Council of its change of mind. Along with the Environment Agency and the Department for Energy & Climate Change, it is the county councils which ultimately consider plans to explore and produce oil on fracking sites.
But the company’s decision to withdraw three applications on the grounds is interesting given the current debate in the UK over the risks associated with fracking.
For the full Kent Online story on the Woodnesborough application, click here.