Gas exploration plans in the North Yorkshire village of Foxholes were published today.

The planning application by Egdon Resources Limited to drill and test a well includes nearly 40 documents. It can be viewed on the North Yorkshire Council planning portal, application number NY/2025/0113/FUL

Unlike another North Yorkshire gas exploration proposal at Burniston, the Foxholes scheme does not include any form of hydraulic fracturing, the application said.

It seeks to target gas in the Sherwood Sandstone at a depth of about 1,000m. The application estimates that the potential gross recoverable gas volume could be 63 billion cubic feet.

The scheme, if approved, would generate more than 500 visits by heavy goods vehicles over the three-year life of the application. The maximum number of direct jobs created would be 26.

A public consultation has not yet been announced. Press notices are due to be published next week.

Foxholes Parish Council is holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday 19 August 2025, 7pm-9pm, at Foxholes Community Hall. The meeting is expected to decide on the council’s view of the application and report on resident surveys and a briefing document.

Four phases

The application seeks permission for four phases:

• site and access construction (5 weeks)
• drilling (8 weeks)
• well testing (4 weeks)
• Site retention (if testing is successful) or
• Well decommissioning and site restoration (if testing is not successful)

The application said the proposal would comply with national and local planning policy.

The documents include assessments of issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, transport, noise, landscape, lighting, hydrogeological and flood risk, emissions, archaeology, air quality and odour.

The application’s 104-page planning statement said the assessments concluded that “with the application of appropriate mitigation measures … there will not be any notable adverse impacts from the Proposed Development”.

It also said the site would “deliver modest but positive economic and social impacts for the local community”.

Egdon refers to the area as the Weaverthorpe prospect. The planning statement is mistakenly headed Wressle Wellsite, which is another Egdon site, about 30 miles away in North Lincolnshire.

DrillOrDrop will report on the progress of the application through the planning system and on the reactions to it.

Key details

Information based on the planning application

Permission sought to: Construct a new wellsite and drill and test a single well

Duration of planning permission sought: 3 years

Applicant: Egdon Resources UK Limited, wholly-owned subsidiary of the US-based Heyco Energy Group

Site address: Land north of Butt Lane, Foxholes, Driffield, North Yorkshire YO25 3HY

Grid reference: TA023727

Exploration licence area: PEDL347

Total application area: 1.3ha

Current use of land: Arable farmland

Nearest homes: Westfield Farm (650m), Eastfield, Foxholes (950m), Applegarth, Smythy Lane (990m)

Nearest towns and villages: Foxholes (850m), Wold Newton (2km), Scarborough (15km), Bridlington (16km)

Nearest designated areas: 880m from boundary of proposed Yorkshire Wolds National Landscape. Other sites: Forden Chalk Grasslands site of special scientific interest (3.5km), Gypsey Race local wildlife site (within 2km) and West Dale, Fordon local wildlife site (within 2km)

Nearest watercourse: Gypsey Race

Drinking water: The site is in a Zone 3 Source Protection Zone, from which water is abstracted. The closest abstraction point is 6.2km away.

Scheduled monuments and listed buildings: None within 1km.

Nearest public rights of way: 1,100m to north west

Hydrocarbon target: Gas in the Sherwood sandstone, known as the Weaverthorpe Prospect

Estimated gross recoverable gas volume: potential mean case of 63 billion cubic feet

Average depth of wells: 1,000m

Proposed work dates: Start first quarter of 2026; finish final quarter of 2026

Access: Existing access would be widened and extended 15m into the site for use by heavy goods vehicles (HGVs)

Work phases

Site Construction

• Install three groundwater monitoring boreholes
• Mobilise security accommodation and lighting
• Construct access track
• Create wellsite, removing top-soil and creating storage bund
• Install drilling cellar and concrete platform
• Install concrete access ramp and parking area for up to 12 cars
• Create perimeter containment system
• Install high-density polyethylene impermeable membrane and matting system
• Install perimeter fencing and gates

Operations

Duration: 5 weeks

Hours: 7am-5.30pm Monday-Friday and 7am-1pm Saturdays

Total HGV numbers: 102

Average HGVs per day: 4

Maximum HGVs on any day: 11

Total employment: 11 (7 on site and 4 off site)

Drilling

• Drill single borehole to about 1,040m below ground level, deviated by up to 400m to north-west
• Final 250m will be vertical through Cretaceous age chalk, mudstones, marls, and halite
• Target is Sherwood Sandstone
• Drilling rig height: 38m
• Rig mobilisation duration: 1 week
• Drilling duration: 4 weeks

Operations

Duration: rig mobilisation and demobilisation 2 weeks. Drilling 6 weeks

Hours: rig mobilisation and demobilisation 7am-7pm Monday-Saturday. Drilling 24 hours per day.

Total HGV numbers: 214

Average HGVs per day: 5

Maximum HGVs on any day: 18

Total employment: 14 (8 on site and 6 off site)

Flow testing

• Test designed to evaluate gas flow
• Gas will be burned in a shrouded ground flare
• Duration limited to 96 hours

Operations

Duration: test mobilisation and demobilisation 2 weeks. Testing 2 weeks

Hours: Test mobilisation and demobilisation 7am-7pm Monday-Saturday. Testing 24 hours per day.

Total HGV numbers: 48

Average HGVs per day: 3

Maximum HGVs on any day: 7

Total employment: 14 (8 on site and 6 off site)

Site retention

• Well remains suspended while new planning application is submitted
• Site area reduced and managed on “care and maintenance basis”

Operations

Duration: 4 weeks

Hours: 7am-5.30pm Monday-Friday. 7am-1pm Saturday.

Total HGV numbers: 145

Average HGVs per day: 6

Maximum HGVs on any day:13

Well decommissioning, site restoration

• Well decommissioned: wellbore filled with cement plugs, tested and casing cut to 2m below ground level.
• Site restored to farmland
• Equipment, infrastructure, membranes, aggregates and facilities removed
• Top soil tested and reused

Operations

Duration: 6 weeks

Hours: 7am-5.30pm Monday-Friday. 7am-1pm Saturday.

Total HGV numbers: 148

Average HGVs per day: 5

Maximum HGVs on any day: 8

Total employment: 26 (20 on site and 6 off site)