Drilling rig needs impact assessment - council

A controversial plan for a gas drilling rig must come with an environmental assessment due to its potentially significant impact on the area, a council has said.

Europa Oil & Gas lodged proposals with North Yorkshire Council to explore for gas on agricultural land at Burniston near Scarborough.

On Friday, council planning officers concluded an assessment was needed in the event a full planning application is submitted.

The firm previously said the proposed development was unlikely to have "significant environmental effects" due to the "relatively short duration of the drilling operations".

Submitted plans state that the construction, drilling and completion phases would generate 1,050 heavy goods vehicle movements at the site, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Europa Oil & Gas said that in order to determine the potential reserves of gas, it would be necessary to undertake a "proppant squeeze".

This is a small-scale form of "fracking" that is permitted under current legislation and would take up to 17 weeks.

Several concerns have been raised since the plans were lodged, including around the site of the location which sits near Scarborough’s heritage coast and the North York Moors National Park.

A council report stated that the rig would be “highly visible from the surrounding area, including the coast road” with the Cinder Track 360 metres away and the nearest boundary of the national park 800 metres away.

Planning officers said that the proposed development “would have the potential for significant impact on the scenic value of the heritage coast and impact on the amenity of the local area”.

The council concluded that the environmental statement should include a “focus on mitigation against potential environmental impacts and a high-quality restoration scheme”.

More than 100 residents recently attended a meeting of Burniston Parish Council to “unanimously” oppose the plans.

Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, also criticised the "proppant squeeze" technique, accusing applicants of “seeking to get around” a legal moratorium on fracking.

Ms Hume said she had written to the government to ask it to tighten legislation.

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