Lancashire County Council planners have recommend refusal of Cuadrilla’s plans to drill, frack and test for shale gas at two sites in the Fylde.

In the past few minutes the council published a 684-page report giving the following reasons for refusal:

• The proposals at both sites were against local planning policies
• Noise pollution from the proposed Preston New Road site would unacceptably affect neighbouring residents
• Lorry movements to the proposed Roseacre Wood site would severely reduce road safety and have an unacceptable impact on the rural road network and road users

Extracts from the report

Preston New Road, Little Plumpton

The proposed development would be contrary to Policy DM2 of the JLMWLP and Policy EP27 of the Fylde Borough Local Plan as it has not been satisfactorily demonstrated that noise impacts would be reduced to acceptable levels and would therefore unnecessarily and unacceptably result in harm to the amenity of neighbouring properties by way of noise pollution.

Roseacre Wood

The proposed development would be contrary to Policy DM2 of the JLMWLP and Policy EP27 of the Fylde Borough Local Plan as it has not been satisfactorily demonstrated that noise impacts would be reduced to acceptable levels and would therefore unnecessarily and unacceptably result in harm to the amenity of neighbouring properties by way of noise pollution.

The proposed development would be contrary to Policy DM2 of the Joint Lancashire Minerals and Waste Local Plan – Site Allocation and Development Management Policies in that it would generate an increase in traffic, particularly HGV movements, that would result in an unacceptable impact on the rural highway network and on existing road users, particularly vulnerable road users and a reduction in overall highway safety that would be severe.

Link to report

Link to planing committee agenda