A council says it is taking action to ensure the restoration of Cuadrilla’s former fracking site near Blackpool after the company missed another planning deadline.

Lancashire County Council set 8 June 2025 for the return of the Preston New Road shale gas near Blackpool to farmland.

But Cuadrilla did not meet the deadline. So far, no work has been carried out to remove the hardstanding of the well pad or return the topsoil.

The company has now given notice that it will seek to extend its planning permission at the site for another two years.

A spokesperson for the council told DrillOrDrop today:

“We are concerned that all of the restoration works required under the planning permission were not able to be completed by the required date.

“We are now taking steps to ensure that all the remaining restoration works are completed as swiftly as possible.”

Cuadrilla previously failed to comply with the planning condition to plug and abandon the site’s two horizontal gas wells by 8 December 2024.

The rig carrying out that work left the site on 27 May 2025. But there has been no public statement from Cuadrilla or industry regulators that the wells have been successfully decommissioned.

The council spokesperson said:

“Cuadrilla was given the deadline of the 8^th June 2025 to restore the land at Preston New Road back to its former use.

“We are aware that important plugging and abandonment works have now been completed and are now seeking formal confirmation that these have been signed off by the appropriate agencies.”

People who opposed Cuadrilla’s operation repeatedly warned that the company would fail to meet the restoration deadlines. There were calls for a bond to ensure that the cost of the work did not fall on local council tax payers.

A spokesperson for Frack Free Lancashire (FFL) said:

“FFL note LCC’s concern with Cuadrilla’s failure to abide by their planning permission.

“However, we are concerned to read that they appear to be accepting that Cuadrilla were not able to complete the required work on time. They have now had 4 years to complete the abandonment and restoration of the site so this is not a question of ability but one of volition and possibly also competence.

“If, as we advised years ago, the council had insisted on a bond for abandonment then they would at least have some leverage here. We remain concerned that the local community is going to be left to pick up the bill.”

DrillOrDrop asked the council what impact Cuadrilla’s notice of a forthcoming planning application would have on any enforcement action. The statement did not address this issue.

Planning authorities in England can serve an enforcement notice where they believe planning conditions have been breached. If an enforcement notice is not complied with, authorities can take legal action.

• DrillOrDrop has been following the process to restore the Preston New Road site to a grazing field. Link here