An energy company has been given the green light to explore for shale gas in the East Midlands, the first step towards the site being potentially fracked in the future.
Nottinghamshire council approved iGas’s planning application to vertically and horizontally drill two wells at Misson in north Nottinghamshire, by a vote of seven to four.
The decision is another boost for the fledgling shale gas industry, marking the UK’s third site to be approved for exploration this year.
Friends of the Earth last month successfully delayed the council’s decision by arguing that approval would be an illegal act because the drilling is next to a protected nature site.
But planning officials, who said the application should be approved, told councillors on Tuesday that a covenant relating to the Site of Special Scientific Interest was not material to the planning process.
Anti-fracking campaigners held a demonstration outside county hall where the application was considered, and environmentalists criticised the approval.
Chris Crean, Friends of the Earth’s West Midlands campaigner, said: “This is a very disappointing decision from the county council. This proposal failed to comply with many requirements and should have been refused for the negative impacts it would have on the local environment, including the protected wildlife site, the Misson training area Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
“Just a couple of weeks after the Paris climate change agreement came into force, pursuing extreme methods to get more fossil fuels out of the ground like this is completely wrong.”
Unlike fracking sites approved in Lancashire and Yorkshire earlier this year, iGas will need to make a further planning application if it wants to employ hydraulic fracturing – fracking – to recover shale gas at the former cold war missile base.
Stephen Bowler, CEO of iGas, said: “I am pleased that the committee has made this positive determination following the recommendation by the planning officer. It has been a long process and everyone has been extremely thorough.”
He added: “We are at a critical juncture in the future of our energy mix and supply, as we move away from coal towards lower carbon energy sources. We rely significantly on gas in the UK, not just for electricity, but also in heating eight out of 10 homes and as a raw material in the manufacture of many everyday products, including plastics and clothing.”
The industry body, UKOOG, also welcomed the decision, saying it showed there was “positive momentum” in efforts to explore the UK’s shale gas potential.
Greenpeace UK campaigner Hannah Martin said: “It is a deep shame the council has decided to give fracking firm iGas the go-ahead to drill in Nottinghamshire. This is despite considerable local opposition and Labour and Lib Dem national parties backing a fracking ban.
John Wilkinson, chairman of the Planning and Licensing Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “Ultimately, the committee concluded that the applicant was able to effectively demonstrate how they could address the planning issues within the County Council’s jurisdiction, such as traffic, noise and access, opening hours, the impact on residential areas and wildlife, flooding, heritage and archaeology.”
A decision by the government on whether to allow four shale gas wells to be drilled at a second site in Lancashire, at Roseacre Wood on the Fylde, is expected before the year is out. Approval hinges on whether Cuadrilla, the company hoping to frack the site, is able to address traffic concerns.
