Cuadrilla fracking verdict pushed back

Shale developer Cuadrilla has suffered a setback after Lancashire Council failed to make a decision on whether to let the firm test drill at its Preston New Road site.

After two days of deliberation and countless adjournments, councillors finally chose to defer its decision until Monday 29 June.

In a statement Cuadrilla chief executive Francis Egan said: “As with all planning applications there is a procedure and process which is ongoing and as the applicant we await a final determination.”

Councillors will gather again today to decide whether to allow shale exploration at the firm’s other site, Roseacre Wood, also in Lancashire.

Cuadrilla’s applications for Preston New Road and Roseacre Wood include an application to drill, frack and extend flow testing of the gas, with a direct connection to a local gas transmission pipeline if extended testing is thought to be viable and is carried out.

It also includes two associated applications for monitoring arrays, to monitor seismic movement and water quality, for each of the sites.

Cuadrilla has already received the go ahead from the Environment Agency, which has approved the developers plans for both Preston New Road and Roseacre Wood.

Last week, planning officials at Lancashire Council recommended that the fracking firm receive planning consent to extract shale gas at Preston New Road, marking the first time a council has backed an application for fracking since the government’s temporary ban in 2011, following a series of earth tremors in the Lancashire area believed to have been triggered by the fracking process.

However, the company’s Roseacre wood site was recommended for refusal, due to the impact operations would have on traffic.

Energy and Utilities Alliance chief executive Mike Foster told Utility Week the decision was “very good news” and would allow the fracking firm to “actually assess whether there is a commercial industry potential” for shale in the UK.