Shale gas opponents were celebrating victory today in a 10-year David and Goliath battle in Nottinghamshire.

Campaigners from across the country gathered at the village pub in Misson to mark the end of the Springs Road shale gas site.

Two giant models of owls, which had become symbols of protest against the site, were displayed at the celebrations.

The local opposition group, Frack Free Misson, said:

“It’s a combination of joy and relief after all this time.”

Sheelagh Handy, from the group said:

“We welcome the news that the Springs Road shale gas site has finally been abandoned and the site restored to its former condition by the would-be developers, Star Energy (formerly IGas).

“The community has had the threat of fracking for more than 10 years. It is with no small relief that this huge battle is finally over,

“Our story shows that determined and committed campaigners can achieve at a local level even when they are fighting issues at a national scale.”

In a toast to the campaign’s success, Ms Handy said:

“It just shows what you can do when you all pull together.”

Decade’s campaign

The Misson site was granted planning permission for drilling in 2016.

IGas sank a shale gas well in 2019 and told local people it intended to drill and frack a second well.

But the site has been mothballed since the moratorium on fracking in England in November 2019.

In 2021, Nottinghamshire’s planning committee refused an application by IGas to extend the life of the site. This was against the recommendation of planning officers.

IGas did not appeal against the decision. The company was ordered to plug and abandon the well and restore the site. Nottinghamshire County Council took enforcement action when the work programme was delayed.

Formal confirmation that the work had been completed came at the end of February 2024.

DrillOrDrop invited Star Energy to comment. It did not respond.

Photos by DrillOrDrop

Threat to wildlife

A key issue in the fight against the Springs Road site was the risk to wildlife on the neighbouring Misson Carr site of special scientific interest, managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

The nature reserve is home to all five species of British owls. There was evidence that nesting birds had been disturbed by drilling and construction noise on the pad.

Janice Bradley, head of nature recovery at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, described the campaign as a “titanic battle”. She said today:

“I always lived in hope that we would win this battle. But this one has been going on a long time and it kept coming back. I did sometimes think that we might not win. But I always hope that nature will prevail.”

The campaign had seen “great collaboration” between local people and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, said the organisation’s head of communications, Erin McDaid.

“We valued the campaigners’ persistence. They valued our technical expertise.”

He said the “dogged determination” of the local campaign group had amplified the message and made peoples’ voices heard.

Dennis May, a member of Frack Free Misson, described opposition to fracking as a 360-degree campaign:

“There were people challenging High Court injunctions, others opposing planning applications, some doing research and others lobbying councillors.”

Kate Needham, a campaigner at Misson, said:

“This group of people [who campaigned against Springs Road] are now engaged and we are prepared for the next challenge. We now know how to get publicity, engage with people, raise awareness. We know how to work with the planning system. We can apply this knowledge to other issues.”

Support for the Misson campaigners also crossed the local political divide.

Tracey Taylor, Misson’s Conservative county councillor, said:

“It’s been a source of misery and stress for residents for over eight years, and a major issue for all of the time I’ve been your county councillor. I can’t let the day go without putting on the record the sheer tenacity and patience of residents in getting to this point and to say a huge thank you for the trust you’ve had in me that we’d see it through together. We certainly did and you deserve to enjoy every minute of your celebrations today.”

Labour’s Jo White, the Bassetlaw district councillor for Misson, said:

“I am delighted that the site has finally been restored. I supported the campaign since the proposal first came about. This campaign has strengthened the community because it became a cause against which to fight.”

• Frack Free Misson presented a cheque for £2,500 of now unneeded funds to Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust for Misson Carr nature reserve. One of the model owls is to be displayed in Doncaster Museum.

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