Lincolnshire Wolds oil drilling plan rejected by council

Controversial plans to drill for oil in the Lincolnshire Wolds have been refused.

Egdon Resources had applied for permission at a site in the village of Biscathorpe.

The proposal had attracted objections from residents, local MP Victoria Atkins and environmental groups.

Planning officers at Lincolnshire County Council recommended the application was given the go-ahead, but councillors rejected the plan.

In response, Egdon Resources said: "We will await the formal decision notice before taking advice and considering our options including an appeal."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the firm's chief executive Mark Abbott told the committee there were "clear exceptional circumstances" to support the application.

"Oil produced from Biscathorpe will not lead to increased oil consumption, it will help to reduce that we import and contribute to energy security," he said.

He said it would create a "significantly lower" carbon emissions than importing the fuels and would be under strict legislation.

Speaking against the plan, councillor Sue Blackburn said: "To me, the benefits of this do not stack up to the problems we are going to have."

One campaigner Nick Bodian, who spoke during the meeting to object, said he was "extremely pleased" that the council had "shown real leadership".

The site would have been operational for 15 years and it was estimated that it could contain more than 30 million barrels of oil. The company said the planned development was on an existing site which was "drilled in 2018 without any impact on the environment or local people."

More than 200 residents lodged objections and a petition against the plan attracted almost 1,800 signatures.

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