Campaigners have called for a “blanket ban” on new oil and gas developments in new planning rules proposed for Hampshire.

The Weald Action Group, which campaigns against hydrocarbon projects in southern England, has also said there are “misleading statements” in the draft proposals.

A consultation has just closed on the update on the county’s minerals and waste plan.

When approved, the plan will shape exploration and production of oil and gas from 2026-2040. It will cover the Hampshire County Council area, Portsmouth and Southampton and the Hampshire sections of the New Forest and South Downs national parks.  

The plan said there was “a continuing need” for oil and gas “in the foreseeable future”. It also said production in Hampshire had the “advantage of proximity to demand and markets”.

But Louise Owen, a member of Weald Action Group from Southampton, said:

“We are in a climate emergency. Maintaining a safe and liveable climate means saying no to new oil and gas. We urge Hampshire County Council to face up to the threats of climate change and make its Minerals and Waste Plan fit for the age we live in. That means a blanket ban on new onshore oil and gas projects.”

Ann Stewart, also of the Weald Action Group, said:

“As it stands, this draft Plan commits the Council to approving planning applications for oil and gas for years to come. Yet any developments approved during its lifetime are likely to be still in operation by 2050, by which time we need to have moved largely away from fossil fuels. It is important that the Council looks ahead and adjusts the plan to this reality.

“We also ask the Council to delete misleading statements. The Plan implies that there is an ongoing need for new oil and gas developments, and that oil from Hampshire is likely to be used here. Neither is true. Hampshire oil is probably as likely to be burned in China as it is in Hampshire.”

She said the UK both imports and exports oil and gas. About 85% of UK-produced oil is exported.

“Important contribution to supply”

The plan acknowledges that onshore oil and gas are “relatively small” compared with offshore production. But it says onshore production “makes an important contribution to supply”.

A DrillOrDrop report on official onshore production data, published today, shows that onshore oil amounted to 1.89% of UK production in 2023. Onshore gas was 0.96% of the 2023 UK total.

The majority of UK onshore oil and gas came from two sites in 2023: Wytch Farm in Dorset (76% of total UK onshore oil) and Saltfleetby in Lincolnshire (64% of total UK onshore gas).

Weald Action Group said:

“Misleading statements about the importance of new onshore oil and gas, can lull councillors, who need to decide on planning approvals, into thinking that a new oil and gas development in the county is somehow a more sustainable alternative. It is not.”

Assessment of downstream emissions

The draft plan also said “it is expected” that the climate impact from the use of oil and gas, known as downstream carbon emissions, would be “fully assessed, either separately or as part of an environmental assessment”.

Weald Action Group described this statement as misleading.

It said downstream impacts include refining crude oil products at refineries that received planning permissions years ago:

“Are there provisions for these refineries to undergo new and regular assessment? If not, then this paragraph is misleading and should be removed. It amounts to empty words and greenwash.”

The group said the failure of planning authorities to consider downstream emissions of oil and gas production was the subject of a legal case brought on behalf of the Weald Action against Surrey County Council, which was heard in the Supreme Court in June 2023. The court’s ruling is still awaited.

Oil and gas policies

The draft plan says exploration, appraisal and production sites and equipment will not be allowed in the New Forest or South Downs national parks or the areas of outstanding natural beauty based on Chichester Harbour, Cranbourne Chase and the North Wessex Downs.

This rule would be lifted only where there are exceptional circumstances and the development is in the public interest. This rule also applies to gas storage sites.

Exploration would be approved only at locations where:

• Developments would not have “significant adverse environmental impacts”
• There are proposals for restoration and aftercare
• Outside Source Protection Zone 1 (SPZ1), an area from which public water supplies are abstracted)

Production would be approved only where the location was the most suitable and outside SPZ1.  

DrillOrDrop has closed the comments section on this and future articles. We are doing this because of the risk of liability for copyright infringement in comments. We still want to hear about your reaction to DrillOrDrop articles. You can contact us by clicking here.