The Frack Stops Here 2 – LIVE UPDATES

Cuadrilla Resources fracking plans for Preston New Road have been REFUSED!!! – See the time-line to refusal below…
This decision has implications for the whole of the UK and Ireland: Lancashire Fracking Showdown – The Beginning Of A Larger Battle

Timeline 29th June – Webcast

11.21am – The application for wider seismic monitoring works has also been refused!!!

11.17 am – Cuadrilla Resources fracking plans for Preston New Road have been REFUSED!!! – Votes for refusal 9 (3 against, 2 abstained)

Reasons for refusal:

1) The development would cause an unacceptable adverse impact on the landscape, arising from the drilling equipment, noise mitigation equipment, storage plant, flare stacks and other associated development. The combined effect would result in an adverse urbanising effect on the open and rural character of the landscape and visual amenity of local residents contrary to policies DM2 Lancashire Waste and Minerals Plan and Policy EP11 Fylde Local Plan.

2) The development would cause an unacceptable noise impact resulting in a detrimental impact on the amenity of local residents which could not be adequately controlled by condition contrary to policies DM2 Lancashire Waste and Minerals Plan and Policy EP27 Fylde Local Plan.

What happens next: Lancashire Fracking Showdown – The Beginning Of A Larger Battle

11.12am – Cllr Green recaps again and explains why he abstained last week and says that there are grounds for refusal. Councillors can place different weight on the ground for refusal to officers.

11.06am – Cllr Aldridge says that he will not have the “frighteners put on him” as it was last week and by the previous speakers. He also calls for insurance to be in place to cover any damage even if Cuadrilla Resources goes bust.

11.01am – Cllr Schofield and Johnstone make their positions clear by agreeing and reinforcing the opinions of the officers and reminding councillors that they will have to defend their decision.

10.48am – The councillors are now arguing with the chair about which motion should be considered first. Approval or Rejection. A number of councillors want public liability insurance and a health monitoring plan in place as part of any conditions on approval.

10.43am – The officers explain why the advice given at different times is different. The officers refuse to accept that any of the legal advice submitted constitutes a material planning consideration. The councils planning officers still recommend approval.

10.39am – Meeting resumes with an officer confirming the providence of the legal advice. Officers are again determining the process by saying that no further advice should be sought or received.

10.25am – Meeting adjourned so that copies of all legal advice can be circulated to all councillors.

10.15 am – Cllr Hayhurst recaps the decision to date, legal advice submitted and reads an outline wording for refusal.

10.06am – The meeting has just started.

9.00am – Lancashire residents start to gather outside County Hall.

Timeline 25th June – Webcast

5.00pm – Discussion and a decision on the Preston New Road application will re-start on Monday 29th at 10am – Read the legal advice given to councillors here…

4.48pm – Bizarrely the second application for monitoring work has been approved. 9 in favour, 4 against and 1 abstention

4.45pm – Cuadrilla Resources Roseacre Wood application (LCC/2014/0101) has been rejected unanimously

4.37pm – Cllr Hayhurst proposes adding CS5 & DM2 to the rejection. Officer Jill Anderson reminds councillors that adding additional grounds could risks additional legal costs in the event of an appeal

4.36pm – A consensus to reject the application is emerging from the councillors discussion so far

4.10pm – The committee begins to debate the application

3.20pm – Pro fracking supporters make 4 minute presentations

2.45pm – Pro fracking supporters make 4 minute presentations

1.30pm – Residents presentations resume. The following issues were raised:

Cuadrilla Resources finances – lack of assets and speculative funding model
Target geological formation
Blackpool residents not consulted
The land lease and petroleum exploration and development licence (PEDL) will expire during the planning period
No change of use from agriculture to industrial
Pro-fracking supporters stood to gain financially
Property values already impacted (evidenced by estate agents letter)
Opposition objection numbers were questioned but numbers in support unquestioned
Public health directors concerns remain un-addressed
Councillors should not be influenced in their decision by the threat of legal action
Impact on tourism
Questioning planning officers narrowing of the ground for objection
Seismic monitoring scheme is unnecessary and only serves Cuadrilla’s commercial interests for future development and data gathering
Traffic impacts and hazards on all of Cuadrilla’s proposed routes
Cuadrilla Resources using donations and promises of financial compensation to bribe community organisations and community members
The destinations for liquid wastes have not been disclosed

12.30pm – Break for lunch, meeting resumes at 1.30pm

11.55am – Representations by Roseacre residents have now started, covering the following:

Noise – baseline and impulse
Traffic & road safety
Human health – pollution, stress and mental health
Economic impact – farming, leisure and tourism
Biodiversity & industrialisation of the countryside
Radioactivity

11.46am – Recommendation for refusal due to impact on highway safety and other road users, contrary to policy DM2 of the Lancashire Minerals and Waste Local Plan

11.06am – The planning officer Stuart Perigo introduces the Roseacre Wood planning application summarising an 800 page report with 25 slides

11.04am – Questions are still being asked about the circulation of legal advice, one member of the committee has received an additional email

11.02am – The councillors vote to continue with the discussion about Roseacre Wood.

10.53am – Cllr Hayhurst says that the written advice is not as strong as the verbal advice given yesterday and it influenced the vote. Cllr’s Green & Ellard feel the same.

10.47am – The meeting resumes with an explanation of the legal advice given yesterday

10.20am – The meeting is adjourned so that copies of all legal advice (including emails) is circulated to all councillors and the public.

10.15am – Cllr Hayhurst expresses concern that the legal advice given to councillors is hurried and does not address the views of the councillors, merely following the planning officers views – Read the legal advice given to councillors here…

10.0am – The meeting starts on time

Timeline 24th June – Webcast

5.03pm – The Preston New Road decision has now been delayed until Monday 29th June. The decision on Roseacre Wood will go ahead as planned tomorrow.

4.57pm – The legal advice has now arrived and the councillors are deciding if they should adjourn to read it before it is read out or delay until Monday.

4.56pm – The proposal to delay has been defeated.

4.45pm – The councillors are split over the decision to delay.

4.30pm – There is now a proposal to delay for 1 month.

3.05pm – Councillors now want the legal advice that they have been given to be put into writing and made public. They also want planning policies clarified. Some councillor’s feel that they have been put in an impossible position by the legal advice and can’t explain the result of the vote to residents until it is made public.

2.50pm – Councillors now have a revised wording and are voting. The vote is tied but the casting vote takes it down.

2pm – A further adjournment for a private briefings by legal officers.

1.35pm – Councilors proposing refusal adjourn to draw up specific wording.

12.31pm – Cllr Dad calls lunch

12.28pm – Cllr Howarth believes that there will be a visual impact and that the development will negatively effect residents. He questions the ability of the authority to manage the conditions imposed especially with regard to noise.

12.03pm – Cllr Hayhurst is concerned that there is no plan for health monitoring and the negative visual impacts and negative impacts on tourism and employment in the Fylde. “The Fylde is booming and we don’t want something that is going to stop that success story”

11.50am – Cllr Anderson agrees with the rejection and is concerned about the number of conditions required to keep the development safe?. Rejection on the planning grounds sited by Cllr Ellard: National Planning Policy Framework 9 & 17, DM2 of the Fylde Plan, Landscape, SP2 & SP11 of the Fylde Local Plan.

11.40am – Cllr Ellard the deputy chair of the committee, proposes the application be Refused. “We owe it to ourselves and future generations to get it right now and in the future” he has “serious concerns about the effectiveness of the regulatory regime” and that the regime is “currently seriously flawed”. He warns of the “potential for the industrialisation of the countryside”.

10.42 am – Dr Sakhti Karunanithi, Lancashire council’s director of public health was unable to give any assurance that residents health would not be impacted. He confirms that “there are no safe limits for some compounds released by the fracking process”. He recommends that “no development commence” until a scheme for “monitoing health and wellbeing outcomes of local residents” has been submitted to the council and approved.

11.30am – Questions about insurance, water pollution, visual impact and noise pollution are asked and officials from the Council, Environment Agency and Health & Safety Executive give answers that are accepted by the councillor’s.

10.30 am – Councillors ask questions about noise and traffic

10.00 am – Development Control committee meeting starts on time

9.00 am – Crowds start to gather outside County Hall in Preston