A drilling project in the chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s constituency will be challenged at the High Court tomorrow (Thursday 8 June).

The action against the government has been brought by Waverley Borough Council and the campaign Group, Protect Dunsfold.

A year ago (June 2022), the department of levelling up gave planning permission for gas exploration in Dunsfold to a subsidiary of UK Oil and Gas (UKOG). This overturned two refusals by Surrey County Council.

Mr Hunt attended a local protest against the proposal, known by UKOG as Loxley.

He said the government grant of planning permission had caused “enormous anger and disappointment” locally. The scheme would, he said, “create enormous disruption and environmental damage for little if any economic benefit”.

After a decision to allow the legal challenge, he said:

“Despite the latest judicial review, it is again disappointing that plans for this potential gas exploration have not been formally shelved. The idea of drilling on this beautiful area continues to be inappropriate – what’s more UKOG’s data and mapping of the sub-surface is sparse, old and simply not detailed enough.”

Waverley and Protect Dunsfold, who are supported by the Good Law Project, will make two legal arguments in court tomorrow:

• Inconsistent on emissions. The secretary of state gave the go-ahead to the Dunsfold scheme on the same day he refused permission for a comparable site in Ellesmere Port. In that decision, he cited greenhouse gas emissions as a significant reason for refusal, stating ‘every tonne of carbon contributes to climate change’.
• Impact on AONB. The Dunsfold site is on the edge of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). National policy requires planning decisions to give great weight to “conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty” in AONBs. The claimants will argue that the Government should – but failed – to take this requirement as its starting point.

The outcome of the challenge is expected to be announced at a date after the hearing.

Opponents of fossil fuels are expected to gather outside the court.

Paul Follows, the leader of Waverley Borough Council, said:

“Drilling for fossil fuels is completely at odds with our declared climate emergency and similar declarations made by the county council and the government.

“We hope that success in the High Court will put a stop to this and also make it more difficult for similar schemes to gain approval in the future. This High Court challenge is not only a must-win for the Dunsfold community; the UK’s vital efforts to tackle the climate emergency also hang in the balance.”

Sarah Godwin, Director at Protect Dunsfold, said she was hopeful the challenge would succeed:

“This might be just one small exploratory drilling project, but it is one too many.

“UKOG’s plans would have a considerable negative impact on the natural environment around Dunsfold and beyond.

“If this project is prevented from even starting it will be a significant step forward in real meaningful action to stop runaway climate chaos.”

Steve Williams, environment portfolio holder at Waverley Borough Council, said:

“The outcome of this judicial review could have a potential impact on the future of onshore drilling for fossil fuels across the country.

“I would be absolutely delighted if our actions to date in opposing drilling for fossil fuels in Dunsfold puts a stop to new fossil fuel exploitation.”

When the judicial review was announced, UKOG’s chief executive, Stephen Sanderson, said:

“The Company’s legal team remain robustly confident that following the extensive Loxley public inquiry, the Secretary of State’s decision to grant planning consent was thoroughly considered and entirely lawful. Consequently, we will continue to move our project ahead.”

DrillOrDrop will be reporting from the High Court hearing