Cuadrilla’s shale gas site, Preston New Road, 12 June 2017. Photo: Lady Bones
People who want to find out more about fracking in the Fylde area of Lancashire are being urged to attend the first town hall-style public meeting on the subject for more than two years.
The event, organised by Fylde resident and oil and gas engineer Mike Hill, comes as Cuadrilla prepares to begin drilling at its Preston New Road shale gas site near Blackpool.
The meeting is described as an information event – not a pro or anti fracking meeting. It is expected to address issues including drilling and fracking techniques, regulations, monitoring of air and water, and consequences for local people.
Mike Hill said he would talk about the fracking process and its history in the Fylde so far. A retired medical consultant will talk about environmental and health issues. The event will also include an extended question and answer session, he said.
Mr Hill said
“With Cuadrilla about to start drilling at the first major test site in the Fylde, there is an urgent need for information.
“There are many questions being asked, about the process, how will the wells be drilled and fracked, what protection do we have, what regulations are in force, how will they be enforced and fracking monitored, and what are the consequences for those who live here, and our air and water.”
Preston New Road shale gas site, Little Plumpton, 31 May 2017. Photo: Frack Free Creators – Knitting Nanas Lancashire
Mr Hill added:
“The meeting is intended largely for those coming to the subject for the first time, and the focus will be on providing facts, not presenting opinion.
“This is a vital issue for our area, and I hope all those who want to take a fact-based and balanced view on this new potential industry in the Fylde will come along.”
He said he particularly hoped people who had moved to the area in the past two years would attend the meeting. He urged people:
“Please come, bring your questions, find out what’s going on and what is likely to happen next”.
Representatives of police, farmers, tourist facilities, supermarkets, churches and schools had been invited, Mr Hill said, along with supporters of fracking from the business community. A number have already confirmed attendance.
More details
The event is on Tuesday 27 June, at the 450-seat Lowther Pavilion Theatre, West Beach, Lytham St Annes FY8 5QQ. Admission is free, doors open at 7pm and the meeting begins at 7.30pm.
Categories: Diary
DRILL OR DROP? 
“He said he particularly hoped people who had moved to the area in the past two years would attend the meeting.”
Why would anyone move to the area in recent times? House values are dropping like stones, the air is polluted, the water will be polluted, the roads are blocked by antis etc etc.
It’s not that bad yet. Houses have only dropped about 11% in ‘The Fylde’ since the threat of fracking according to the London School of Economics.
The air is still clean – nothing has been emitted yet. There’s still hope that Cuadrilla won’t flare/vent and attempt to ‘green complete’ at the first opportunity.
Perhaps they’ll drill long laterals from the one pad to reduce industrialisation. May be all the exploitation can be done on just one enlarged pad on the one farm. 6km radius coverage now I believe. In theory they only need PNR & Roseacre to frack all the land in between.
No one will be really fully checking the contamination of the water and independently supervise the air quality anyway. Probably a decade before anyone really realises what damage is being done.
People still ‘trust the government’ and move in!
Always a chance it works safely?! NOT!!!!
Richard
Property prices
zoopla shows a 20% increase in Poulton over last 5 years and 18% for Little Plumpton.
Preston is just over 18%.
Note over 10 years it’s about 5%, so the drop was in the 5 to 10 year view which fits in with the 2008 slump.
Over 20 years 220%
So maybe house prices are resilient at present.
Take no notice of the anti claims, they are all ‘fake news’.
Take no notice of the anti-anti claims they are all “flake news”.
Clearly the Daily Telegraph is anti anti anti as well what’s it doing publishing this sort of thing?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/energy/fracking/11712040/fracking-house-prices-defra-report.html
Telling the truth I guess, GottaBadPartition, never mind, you’ll soon feel better when the reset kicks in, then all these mysteries will become clear.
Sure property prices might have gone up, but they’ve gone up far faster in other parts of the country
Click to access sercdp0207.pdf
is one report but not 11%, only 2.7 to 4.1 % fall; don’t know who quoted me the 11%.
If/when fracking starts …?…
Richard
I cannot match the analysis methodology of the report! However I did a quick comparison with the East Midlands and the Fyld / East Midlands look about the same. Lincoln was a couple of % points ahead.
Bootle seems not to have fared so well. Interestingly Grimsby has done well. Misson has had a price drop over the last 6 months, but that is reflected in the area, including Blyth, and Harworth, which are Chalk and cheese.
So yup, let’s wait and see.
“The meeting is described as an information event – not a pro or anti fracking meeting.”
Seriously? Who would believe that Mike Hill would host an event that didn’t have an agenda? Pathetic.
I just wonder who Mike Hill is bringing in as his medical expert and what that person’s background is with respect to fracking? If this meeting were truly “informational” then why are all the agenda items aimed at showing the negatives of fracking and not the benefits? Where is the “Jobs created and funds for community” agenda item? Where is the “Decreasing CO2 emissions, while providing energy that can back up renewables” item? Where is the “Increasing national energy security” item?
Yes, it looks like a very balanced agenda indeed! LOL
The Government surveys show that there are still many who do not know about fracking. The PNR site development and peaceful protests have attracted attention. There will be people wanting information.
The announcement that
‘If Lancashire is commercial it will be the largest gas field in Western Europe. I think people need to understand the scale of it’
will be of great concern for local communities.
So will the understanding of the reality of intrusive return visits to re frack.
The salami slicing of the industry to try and develop unnoticed has failed. People have been and will be made aware of the realities of how the industry has to operate.
Fracking in the green belt will never be accepted.
Ooo excellent, I shall buy some pink hair dye and camoflauge gear as well as a hi-viz and pretend I am an anti. Get all the juicy gossip 🙂
Don’t forget to buy a dictionary if you really want to fit in Peeny – most of us can spell words like “camouflage” 😉
Apologies, typing and walking. Although I am glad you’re paying attention Hobbit.
Gosh you can really do two things at once? I’m amazed 😉
To be fair I don’t really have a need to type aforementioned very often. I can only assume you’re an expert on the various hides to blend in?
Not all all Peeny – I just understand a few words of 3 syllables and can sometimes even spell them properly 🙂 I think you meant “the aforementioned” by the way.
Wouldn’t that declaration identify you?
Doh!
Each time I saw that empty site I find it amusing because the anti fracking brigades are protesting over an empty field that looks neatly constructed as though no work has beeb carried out in the last 5 months. I am not sure why Cuadrilla wasted $15millions each year for such an empty field.
There is a placard on the gate:
“Here lies the tomb of tory ambition for fracking insanity.
Do not enter, Toxic for 30,000 years”
Can you explain which bit of the site is toxic for 30000 years?
Yes
Yes what?
Yes please
Phil, I’d really like to understand what going to make an abandoned well site toxic for 30000 years. Where did you get the data from?
I think the spelling should be “misinformation”.
Mike Hill speaks highly of you too Dr Riley MBE ,C Geol
What a bunch of sourpusses! Anyone would think that truth about fracking is dangerous to the GottaFrackers?
If you are so fearful that someone else’s truth is being told in a public meeting, why don’t you offer to speak on your view of the situation? Or would you all rather just sit behind your keyboards and make silly snipes because that is easy and then you don’t have to actually do anything about it?
SafetyCatch- I have been involved in events with Mike Hill (e.g Canterbury Fracking debate), and have had to constantly challenge and correct his misinformation.
Fine, an ideal opportunity for you to do so again then, pop in and say your truth, isn’t communication what we should all be doing? Let the people decide what is important to their own community.
Back to using the new name I see safety!
Way to go GottaMultipleIDProblem, now you have done it! don’t you remember i am one of your fake ID’s and you are one of mine? Doh! You know, i’m the rational one between the manic phases? I told you that you will forget who you are one day? Well congratulations buddy, you have finally done it! Look we had a deal remember? I do the clever stuff when i’m conscious and you post all the stupid stuff when you are conscious? Simples! GottaHaveToReset the program now don’t we? And you know how long that will take, and i bet you didn’t upgrade to windows 10 like i said to, we still on XP? Maybe we were hacked by the ransom bug?
Huuhhh! never mind, shift over i’m gonna do a reset, you may feel a period of disorientation for a while, though perhaps looking at these posts, i think you are all ready disoriented. You may feel very strange and post all sorts of nonsense in the next few week or months, but don’t worry, no one will notice the difference.
here goes!
While i do a reset, here is a link to the chap who killed the electric car, interesting what he says about Tesla cars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QxL4oCa8Jw
Jeezo safety did I hit a nerve! Anyway I actually appreciate a bit of attempted lighthearted banter.
Still talking to yourself? That rogue AI personality glitch is gonna have to go too.
Dr Riley – It would be great if you would attend the meeting and debate your points with Mike Hill. The audience certainly found it was interesting to compare your opinions last time in Canterbury
Doc
Enjoyed the Cantebury debate on video
I guess the Kent Coalfield did not have sufficient economic reserves to keep it open. The trials and tribulations to get it going ( reading Jevons ) make fracking economics pale into insignificance.
Re putting radioactive waste into shale gas wells, is that all about reinjecting frack fluid? As it is classed as radioactive waste, people may become confused, thinking it is some way of making such wells viable, outwith producing gas.
I think Mike Hill was keen to point out radioactive waste could be put in fracked wells, due to the provisions of the infrastructure bill, without clarifying what that waste was.
Dr Riley. Really why bother with those who are already made up their minds on what they want to believe in and choose to accept only information that fit their idealogy. If they are reasonable with critical but open mind then we wouldn’t be here right now. So why bother with those that are not interested in in facts and reasons over idealogy.
I’m sure you will be able to hear the profound logic of Ineos investing hugely in Grangemouth and Norway in order to process more US fracked gas, whilst the supplies available to them locally, which would reduce their carbon footprint and add money to communities and tax revenue to the UK, should be frozen. Call me an old fashioned realist, but I expect that will not be on the agenda.
To not see a problem with this industry is to not be a realist. The first step is to see it and to advise people on the risks. Hill has seen the risks for himself and can advise.
Why not take issue with his findings rather than just attack the man or give the usual sales propaganda.
I suppose there is a logic to revert to 100 years ago policy! “Your county needs you These terrible Cua Drilla hordes will rape your countryside and poison your families, or the other way round. We need more troops to go over the top, like we have been doing for the last few years. We will be right behind you-quite a long way behind you-but that is not the issue”.
“Hill has seen the risks for himself and can advise.” Risks, rewards and independent analyses. Well, one out of three is about the odds the recruitment between 1914-18 offered, so it just goes to show how “far” we have travelled. Talking of which, must go outside and smash up that evil motor car, causes horrific road accidents, kills people through pollution, encourages excessive debt, and even worse, is largely fed by fossil fuels. And then to chain myself to a bus, because I must stop others taking the wrong road.
Risks can be controlled PhilipP. We do it every day of our lives. Somehow I don’t think this meeting will be discussing that.
Hill is an anti with an axe to grind. It is in my diary, I may attend to provide some actual experience of planning, managing and executing stimulations including fracture stimulations which he does not have. But impartial it will not be. Can my safety be guaranteed? Will my car be okay? Can you ensure the swampy rent a crowd are not there?
Paul I’d take some close body protection with you. I’ve seen the anger first hand with a lot of the ‘pro’ protestors. Or if you know how to play the guitar you could attempt a sing off against the anti ‘resident guitarist’ that is Hobbit.
This event will be like one of their dreadful Facebook groups that make them feel all big and mighty until they come back to the real world.
I assume Phil C and/or Safety Catch and Phillip P will be there to debate – perhaps they will look after me? Or I could bring some “friends” from Aegis Defence Services?
Still arguing over the shape of the table? You lot seem to be genuinely fearful of meeting ordinary local people attending a public meeting, friends, families, children, residents all want to know what fracking is and does. The media wont tell them, the government just run rough shod over any attempt at querying or questioning or setting down some sort of safety considerations. Yet you all sit behind your keyboards quaking in your boots at the prospect of actually meeting and talking to very people who are most effected by it?
If all your arguments are the one and only truth and you can shoot down all the oppositions arguments, as you claim in these pages, then what do you have to lose?
Dont go if you are so scared of the reception you will get, but it doesn’t say much for any smart Alec comments if its all a sham, go and say your piece, you may be surprised with the welcome you get, certainly the industry are not going to go, so why not actually give the people the information they need to make up their own minds. Its a long journey but I shall be there. What’s the expression? Put up or shut up!
The attempts by the anti antis to claim the need protection are ridiculous – I remember Ken Wilkinson trying to wriggle out of the Harrogate debate once he realised he was up against somebody who would do better than he could by citing security concerns.
In the event Yorkshire police posted half a dozen police officers to “control” a hundred predominantly middle aged middle class citizens who came to a hall to hear a debate. It was quite shameful really (and Ken lost by a huge margin by the way).
We realise that Egan won’t share a platform with anyone who he thinks he may be embarrassed by (hence he never appears at all) but claiming you might not be safe attending an event like this is quite preposterous. (Unless you and your friends are thinking of starting a bit of trouble of course?)
Peeny – I don’t sing and I only strum my guitar to accompany decent people. Glad you enjoyed it though x