North Yorkshire Council leaders were urged to ensure that residents' scenery is considered if applications to drill gas near North Yorkmoor National Park were submitted by European Oil & Gas.
The oil and gas company says it is preparing to submit a formal planning application to drill for gas, and its “propane squeeze” project will include a 30m (98 feet) drilling rig.
Before a full meeting of authorities on Wednesday (February 26), a group of residents and counterattack activists gathered outside the county hall in Northerlerton to protest the plan.
Speaking at the meeting, Coun Rich Maw said: “Does the leader support the principles of local consent for projects such as fracking? Does he agree that the definitions currently listed in the suspension give the community the possibility of hydraulic fracturing even if rejected by the local government's planning committee?”
He added: “Do leaders seek assurance from the government that hydraulic fracturing, including the type of fracking known as propane squeeze, will progress without consent from the relevant local council?”
Authority leader Carl Less said “development will not take place without permission” and “the best place for local planning authorities to make decisions about local developments.”
He states:
“As for propane squeeze, I previously wrote to the government about different views on the accuracy of the definitions used in the current suspension, but I will need to work within those definitions until there are changes.”
Europe previously said that “slurries” could be injected into wells to fracture the surrounding rocks and recover more gas.
The technique, which is described as “small fracking,” has been criticized for being a loophole in the UK's controversial suspension over the fossil fuel extraction process.
CEO William Holland said if successful, the project will provide economic and job benefits and “reduce emissions by developing domestic gas.”
