The public consultation has been extended on the environmental impact of plans to drill and fracture a gas well at Burniston in North Yorkshire.

The Environment Agency (EA) originally set a deadline of Wednesday 13 August 2025 for comments on an application for an environmental permit from Europa Oil & Gas.

But following concerns about the application, the consultation has been extended until Friday 19 September 2025.

The EA has added new information, including a previously missing inventory of chemicals that would be used in the operation.

The local campaign group, Frack Free Coastal Communities, complained to the EA that the chemical inventory was “crucial” for people to be able to assess the risk to groundwater, soils and local ecology.

The 12-page inventory lists the substances that would be used during drilling and cleaning the well and in the controversial fracturing operation, known as a proppant squeeze. This is a form of lower-volume hydraulic fracturing, which is not prevented by the moratorium on fracking in England.

The environmental permit is one of several consents that must be granted before work at Burniston could begin. Link to permit and consultation details.

A planning application is currently being considered by officials at North Yorkshire Council.

Discrepancies

Frack Free Coastal Communities also identified what it described as “material discrepancies” between the information on the proppant squeeze in the permit application and the planning application.

The permit application (Waste Management Plan, p36) seeks consent for up to four treatments of proppant squeeze, each using 300m-500m3 of carrier fluid and 12.5 tonnes of proppant. If Europa carried out all four treatments using the maximum amount of fluid and proppant, this would require a total of 2,000m3 of fluid and 50 tonnes of proppant.

The planning application (Planning Statement, p17-18) suggests a single operation, using 300-500m3 and 60-80 tonnes of proppant.

Frack Free Coastal Communities said:

“This discrepancy should be clarified before people can be expected to make an informed response to the consultation”.

The group said the discrepancy had implications for the number of heavy goods vehicle journeys needed to transport water and chemicals to the site and their environmental impact. It said the discrepancy raised questions about data on traffic movements and emissions in the planning application.

Consultation problems

Frack Free Coastal Communities also complained that the permit application’s non-technical summary contained “complex and technical information” that “a layperson would find difficult to understand without explanation”. The group said it needed more time to assemble and make available relevant explanatory information.

The group also said several technical experts it wanted to consult were taking family holidays during the original consultation period.

It called for structured discussions with young people in schools and colleges, that could be done only in term time. It also requested face-to-face public information events and online question-and-answer sessions.

Government consultation principles, which apply to the EA, include guidance to:

• Give enough information to ensure that people consulted understand the issues and can give informed responses
• Ensure the consultation lasts for a proportionate amount of time, based on the nature and impact of the proposal
• Consider extending the length of consultations that take place during holidays
• Target consultations to the needs and preferences of particular groups