In this guest post, Lancashire resident Barbara Richardson explains her frustration that the energy minister won’t meet local people to listen to their concerns about fracking.
I spent this weekend making my fourth attempt to invite the energy minister, Claire Perry, to meet a small group of people who live in my village of Roseacre.
We’d like to explain what we think are genuine concerns about the effects that fracking could have on our homes, some of which are only 300m metres away from Cuadrilla’s proposed shale gas site at Roseacre Wood.
Ms Perry has said she intends to talk to communities about their concerns about shale gas.
So I’ve been trying to arrange a meeting with someone, anyone, from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
But so far, I’ve not had a single acknowledgement of my correspondence nor any response to my invitations.
Roseacre is one of only three communities in England where fracking is either happening or formally planned. Yet we have not had a single approach from Ms Perry, or her predecessors, or other ministers in the department, or their officials.
We have lived with the prospect of fracking near our homes for nearly five years. Fracking is already happening at Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site about five miles from our village. We could have a fracking site much closer if Cuadrilla is granted planning permission for its Roseacre Wood site.
Having watched closely what has happened at Preston New Road, we now know what a fracking site looks like. It is a large industrial facility that is totally out of keeping with our rural landscape.
We also know there would be over 15,000 movements of heavy goods vehicles routed along our narrow and winding country lanes. Some of these vehicles would be the very largest six-axle, 44-tonne HGVs. Sometimes they are likely to be travelling in convoys overnight.
Based on the recent Preston New Road experience, we know that there are likely to be multiple earth tremors.
“We’re not the minister’s shouty travelling circus”
Members of Roseacre Awareness Group, which I chair, think these are legitimate concerns and we want Ms Perry to understand better why communities like ours are so anxious.
We are not the “shouty travelling circus of protesters” described by the minister during a parliamentary debate. Nor are we nimbies, scaremongers or ill-informed.
We are well-educated, rational members of the public who have researched shale gas exploration in our own time.
I have represented people living near Roseacre for four-and-half years. I have presented evidence at two public inquiries on behalf of residents’ groups and seven town and parish councils. This cost our community thousands of hours of work and tens of thousands of pounds in fees.
I have also presented the evidence-based case of Roseacre Awareness Group to two parliamentary groups and attended the Paris Climate Change talks.
I feel that our community’s voice deserves to be heard. But so far, no one in government has been willing to listen.
Last month, the government’s newly appointed shale gas minister, Natascha Engel, visited North Yorkshire, where no fracking is taking place.
If the minister won’t talk to us, we feel the very least we deserve is the courtesy of a meeting with the shale gas commissioner.
I wrote to her but, like the minister, she did not acknowledge my correspondence or respond to my invitation.
I have offered to meet the minister or Ms Engel anywhere and at any time to suit their convenience.
People in Roseacre know that the minister made time for a round-table meeting with the shale gas industry in the spring.
We hope Ms Perry and Ms Engel will treat our latest invitations with respect and take time to meet us too.
Categories: Opposition
DRILL OR DROP? 
I agree with the comments so far Barbara. Claire Perry won’t meet with you because she would be unable to answer your questions without an army of advisors. Claire Perry is interlectualy challenged on the subject of fracking. She has been chucked in at the deep end to carry the can when fracking is stopped. Greg Clarke and James Brokenshire should be answering the questions but they have passed the buck onto Claire and the poor lass is way out of her depth but she has resisted calls from Egan to raise the 0.5 limit on the traffic light system so maybe so is starting to get the message.
It’s a good time to ask her to come and meet since Claire Perry has become very indecisive and nervous about the whole issue it is a good time to put a pressure on when she is at weakest moment and not sure.
That’s why she will not meet with you Barbara.
Just a group trying to legitimize their grievance and they have tarred you with the same brush.
So, she can then decide she has more important things within her diary. Shame that you have such within your ranks, but that is the way you keep the excitement going, so the consequences are of your own making.
Nah it’s because she is a spineless Tory mouthpiece, only capable of regurgitating the party line and lacking in any actual knowledge and certainly devoid of any empathy skills.
[Edited by moderator]
Barbara – this is the Collywibbler I mentioned to you. Funny isn’t he?
Ho fracking ho ho ho. This Christmas will be his last. Give him some slack, he knows he is doomed.
Neither wish to speak because they will be completely out of their depth and will have to deal with everyday people in the real world.
What they would hear is likely to contradict their cut ‘n paste Industry Guff. How many changes have they made to their Fracking Myths? That’s what happens when you copy other people’s homework.
If they came for a visit, they could also pop into visit Cuadrilla at the Preston New Road site, where they could meet the true Traveling Circus (only the security guards are likely to be local). Not sure how many of the potential 64,000 employees will be available though.
Barbarawas on LBC. Basically she confirmed she doesn’t want fraccing full stop no matter what. Waste of time talking. If you want to stop fraccing then vote for that freeloader and home country hater, Commie Corbyn.
[Comment edited at poster’s request]
Peeny – you must really be gnashing your teeth so hard this morning after your beloved Trump lost the house. Maybe stick to commenting on your own “home country” as your grasp of UK politics is a bit weak.
If huge wind turbines were planned for the surrounding fields to Roseacre Barbara would have mounted a campaign to stop them.
Something along the lines that they are heavily subsidised by our energy bills and the heat given off and manufacture is heavily CO2 intensive, the local birds and bats will be killed by them and noisy creating health problems. Scrap after 20 years and should be offshore as they destroy the views of the Countryside.
Barbara I get it, initially because of this development and increased traffic your house will lose value…
But after a year and the site is quietly producing Gas with subterranean pipes flowing Gas it will be just like Elswick down the road quietly producing Gas with no effect on house prices…
The U.K is running at a huge deficit of its energy needs importing more and more Gas and oil. People’s energy bills are increasing. The Beast from the East was a warning as to the fragility of our situation. Hundreds of thousands are added to the millions already in fuel poverty in the U.K…
Barbara by developing our own energy source we will have security of supply and reduce CO2 emissions attributed to the energy we use and enabling the Government through these Companies tax revenues to sustain a price cap on energy bills.
Thank you…
I take it Kisheny hasn’t heard of climate change? The world’s scientists keep telling Claire Perry that we cannot burn fossil fuels and have a liveable planet. It is one or the other.
By producing our own energy instead of importing more and more we will reduce CO2 Emissions.
Claire Perry is working towards carbon capture projects to work alongside shale gas extraction which will be World leading and enable the rest of the World to follow suit…
I take it from your statement Jon you are totally against burning fossil fuels?
What is your answer Jon???
Do you only have one book of responses Kishy? Did the PR team only give you version one? Repeat, repeat, repeat; ignoring the latest conjecture.
The is no answer Jon; Kishy only wants to hear back what he has just said…he is best left to talk to himself……..
Golly I’m glad somebody is working on CCS but how long will it take her Kisheny, working on her own as she would seem to be doing, since the government cancelled their CCS project support?
CCS is currently a pipe dream and there is no way it will arrive at scale in time to allow your project to slide through the climate change mitigation gates. Even the late Stephen Tindale could see that.
Yes, refracktion, I do try and keep the chat a little on the light side, otherwise it could be INTELLECTUALLY challenging!
Some good press for Cuadrilla over the weekend. A while before we see if decent volume can be established, so a little more time for the antis before they start looking for the next lost cause.
Someone clearly missed the 0.7ml trailing event that occurred on Sunday. Nearly a week after the last frack and two days after Cuadrillas PR excercise.
Wonder how that will go down with investors once that news starts filtering through.
Disturbingly of course not covered by the traffic light rule schema produced by Cuadrilla in the hydraulic frack plan and accepted by the OGA, EA etal.
Cuadrilla can frack at maximum volume and pressure. Then wait and see what happens. Trailing events aren’t actually covered. Nothing in the rules to create a magnitude 4 except having to stop for 14 hours if it happens whilst fracking. Interesting liability. Cuadrilla can work to this schematic traffic light plan and cause big earthquakes. Working to the regulations.
A proper safe plan is, of course, for every event over 0.5 to have to be analysed and ‘signed off’ by the OGA and EA before fracking recommences at the direction and stipulation of these regulators. Each frack volume and pressure certified. Gold plated regulations? Don’t think so.
Still speculating and fabricating Richard? Just doing your job for you Martin.
I fully appreciate your post Martin, which is why I contribute rarely. [edited by moderator] I shall NOT ask you why there was a 0.7 yesterday, on a Sunday when Cuadrilla are supposed not to frack. That would be far too challenging for you to answer. But please try [edited by moderator]
By the way refracktion, no interest now in AJL share price?
Some happy day traders out there this am.
Financial traders make money whether news is good or bad. Perhaps you have a poor grasp on the young guys who win whatever happens. They are highly experienced gamblers who play the market. It is the poor suckers who have bought into the fly-by-nights like AJL and hence Cuadrilla who lose.
Martin – I’m just waiting to see what happens to the share price when they realise that that flare was a sort of Wizard of Oz production and that Cuadrilla don’t seem to have fracked since the 0.7 Ml. Anyone know if they fracked today (7th)
What do you reckon TW? You are a share holder aren’t you?
I have been pressing the Frack Free Devizes Facebook group members to organise a mass leaflet drop in Claire Perry’s constituency. My team has done it before in other areas – an A4 leaflet to virtually every home in each town. We need to do this in Devizes now. Who can help? Please link up with me via Facebook if you can. Jonathan N Fuller
Financial traders make money whether news is good or bad. Perhaps you have a poor grasp on the young guys who win whatever happens. They are highly experienced gamblers who play the market. It is the poor suckers who have bought into the fly-by-nights like AJL and hence Cuadrilla who lose.
Apologies Jon, as will be clear my response to [edited by moderator] Collyer not to you.
Think the investors may be quite happy that the shale continues to be fracked, without any expense, crembrule. Perhaps they will burn off a bit more gas next time.
Go for it Jon. Meanwhile, UK will continue to import large quantities of gas and oil, some of which we could produce on shore in UK to help mitigate human impact upon climate change. I’m sure you will be able to explain that on the doorstep to the two car households in Devizes. But, first take a look at CPs support in her constituency over recent elections-otherwise a few trees wasted and the energy for production and distribution. I think your leaflet might just arrive at the same time that the latest US efforts, this time on Iran, force fuel prices higher still-so a leaflet may be a safer bet than explanation face to face. I don’t think the classic DoD poster comment about cheap oil and gas sloshing about the world market will wash.
Yeah careful John, Martin seems to thinks the ineffectual Ms Perry is some kind of political miracle worker in Devizes, where as in reality she was parachuted into a safe Tory seat held since the 1945, so safe a seat a pig in a blue rosette could win it and the constituents probably wouldn’t notice much difference.
What evidence do you have that they are still fracking Martin? #justasking
Hi Refraction,
All the evidence from our people at the gates supports there having been no fracking since the weekend of the Sunday 0.7 event.
Also the lack of earthquakes since then points inevitably to the same conclusion.
So, still avoiding doing your research crembrule? Consistent, but increasingly obvious. You could at least get the guy’s name correct. [Edited by moderator]
(If CP was ineffectual, why would the antis be so excited? There is a pretty obvious clue there.)
And Barbara is surprised CP has no interest in “dialogue”! I suspect her idea of dialogue is to at least have some manners and research incorporated into the discussion.
Sorry Barbara, I did suggest in a previous post the problem with your request, and have sympathy for any genuine protestors who wish to make their case, but the issue has been hijacked by others and your concerns are collateral damage.