A judge has granted residents of Balcombe in West Sussex the right to challenge a High Court decision to allow oil exploration in their village.

The case will be heard at the Court of Appeal in London in front of three judges.

The community group, Frack Free Balcombe Residents’ Association, which is bringing the case, now has to raise £25,000 in the next three months.

People have opposed oil exploration in Balcombe for more than 10 years.

In 2013, the village made national headlines when Cuadrilla, the then operator, drilled an exploration well.

The current operator, Angus Energy, applied in 2020 to test the commercial viability of the well. But its proposal was refused unanimously by West Sussex County Council’s planning committee.

Angus appealed and a government-appointed planning inspector overturned the council’s decision.

Last year, FFBRA challenged the inspector’s permission at the High Court but lost its case.

In October 2023, the group requested the right to appeal against the High Court ruling.

They have argued that an oilfield should not be developed in the High Weald area of outstanding natural beauty. But the planning inspector concluded that the national need for oil was more important.

Villager Sue Taylor, who is fronting the case, said today:

“This is wonderful news. Our fight goes on.

“It was so, so wrong, the idea of establishing a new oil field in countryside that has been deservedly designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We are hopeful that this dangerous decision will be overturned at the Court of Appeal.”

Rachel Hall, a Balcombe mother whose nine-year-old child attends the village primary school, said:

“A little bit of my faith in the justice system has been restored,’ she says. It is the job of all of us to ensure the future for the next generation is a greener one and one that respects the place we all call home.”

Malcolm Kenward, grandfather of two children living in the village, said:

“The rationale given by the planning inspector – that the UK’s need for oil overrides all other considerations – threatens the whole of the UK, not just Balcombe. Especially as the oil will likely be sold on the international market and will not contribute to our energy security.”

Dr Matt Fox, an earth sciences lecturer who lives with his family in Balcombe, said tributaries of the River Ouse run close to the well site. Water is pumped from the river at times into the Ardingly Reservoir. He said:

“We have obtained data from South East Water, through an FOI [freedom of information request] showing millions of litres pumped from the River Ouse to the Ardingly Reservoir via the Ardingly pumping station. We are hopeful that the Court of Appeal judges will take this evidence into consideration and agree with us that the Planning Inspector has failed to assess impact on water resources.”

In March 2024, Angus Energy defended the well test:

“the principle of the development has been previously accepted, the site selection represents the best environmental option and is safeguarded, energy Policy states that the domestic oil and gas industry has a critical role in maintaining the country’s energy security and is a major contributor to our economy and minerals are given great weight with the extraction of hydrocarbons seen as central to the UK energy policy in the immediate and long-term future.”

The company has not yet commented on today’s announcement.

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