The Horse Hill well pad in Surrey still has no final date for site clearance, a year after the Supreme Court quashed its planning permission, officials have confirmed.

The site was the subject of a landmark legal ruling on 20 June 2024 on climate emissions from burning fossil fuels.

The court ruled that Surrey County Council had unlawfully granted planning permission without taking into account these emissions.

But a year on, the site has still not been finally cleared, the council’s planning committee heard yesterday (25 June 2025).

The meeting was told that extraction and production equipment had been removed but the council’s planning enforcement team “continues to liaise with the operator to understand and confirm what works have been completed towards site clearance”.

Members of the public have regularly asked the committee for updates on Horse Hill. Yesterday, Sarah Freeman asked about delays at the site.

The council’s planning development manager, Sian Saadeh, said there was no prescribed time limit for the quashed permission to be redecided.

She said the site operator had been asked for more information on its proposals.

A formal Regulation 25 request was issued in December 2024 for details on greenhouse gas emissions, noise, groundwater protection, traffic and lighting. The letter did not specify a deadline for the information.

Ms Saadeh said:

“My understanding is that we are likely to receive that [information] in the coming months but I do not have a firm date.”

She said there would be a public consultation on the information once it had been received.

Jackie Macey and Deborah Elliott raised concerns about whether the operator had enough money to restore Horse Hill. The parent company, UK Oil & Gas plc, suspended share trading and delayed publication of its accounts in March 2025.

Ms Saadeh said:

“This is not a relevant consideration at this stage. Whether or not sufficient funds exist is not relevant to any enforcement related matters”.

She said the restoration issue would be considered when the council redecided the quashed planning permission.