Landmark ruling for UK shale gas industry

The government have approved plans for a new fracking site in Lancashire, overturning the county council’s earlier decision to refuse permission to extract shale gas at the site on the grounds of noise and traffic impact.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has approved plans for fracking at Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site at Little Plumpton in Lancashire. Environmentalists and local campaign groups reacted angrily, saying it was a denial of local democracy. It means, for the first time, UK shale rock will be fracked horizontally, which is expected to yield more gas.

A second site, Roseacre Wood, has not yet been given the green light amid concerns over the impact on the area.

Live reaction to the fracking announcement is available on the BBC website here: BBC News

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is a technique whereby water is injected at high pressures to stimulate oil or gas flow from reservoirs that have insufficient permeability to the oil or gas to flow at economic rates without stimulation. Although not yet standard practice in the UK around 200 wells have used similar techniques since the early 1980s.

How can Searchpoint help?

Groundsure collects planning applications relating to fracking and other energy activities on a weekly basis and these are included within the Groundsure Energy Search as standard. We provide a free Search Alert for Energy Extraction Wells as part of the standard property screening whenever you use postcode lookup to enter an address when creating a case on Searchpoint. If a Search Alert for Energy Extraction Wells is triggered a recommendation to purchase a Groundsure Energy Report (£30 inc VAT) is made.

Ensure you are the first to hear about these developments, especially ahead of purchase.