A government minister is to decide whether there should be a detailed environmental study of plans to expand oil production in rural Dorset.

The move follows a request by a campaign group, which won a landmark Supreme Court challenge on climate emissions from onshore oil and gas.

A decision on the Waddock Cross planning permission could now be delayed.

Dorset Council ruled this year that Egdon Resources’ plan for three new boreholes and 10 years of oil production at Waddock Cross did not need an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The council said the proposal was “not likely to result in significant environmental impacts”.

But earlier this month, the Weald Action Group, which successfully won what became known as the Finch case, asked the local government secretary to review the Waddock Cross EIA ruling.

The group, which opposes onshore oil and gas development in southern England, said the ruling went against a recent one in Lincolnshire.

Lincolnshire County Council found that comparable plans to increase oil production at the Whisby site, near Lincoln, did need an EIA, because of the potential climate impact.

The Whisby developer, BritNRG, proposed to extract a total of 42 tonnes of oil a day – slightly less than the expected average of 47 tonnes a day at Waddock Cross, the group said.

Weald Action Group told the minister:

“Under the current legal framework we consider that the ‘significant effects on the environment’ test is met, making a full EIA mandatory for the [Waddock Cross] project to be lawful.”  

Earlier this week, the local government secretary agreed to review the Waddock Cross EIA ruling. The outcome is due by 1 March 2026.

Dorset Council had been expected to decide Egdon’s planning application on 26 January 2026.

But Weald Action Group has now asked the authority to delay a decision until after the secretary of state’s ruling.

If he says an EIA is needed, Egdon Resources will have to produce an environmental statement (ES) on the conclusions.

ESs often run to hundreds of pages and several volumes, detailing the environmental consequences of the proposed development. This would include the climate impact of burning any oil produced at Waddock Cross.

The public is normally consulted on an ES and the document should be taken into account in a decision on planning permission.

• DrillOrDrop reported in September 2025 on a previous delay to the Waddock Cross decision. Dorset councillors wanted more information on the climate impact of the expansion.