An MP and leaders of four local councils are urging a delay to the decision on gas drilling and lower volume fracking near Scarborough.

North Yorkshire Council is scheduled to consider a planning application next week from Europa Oil & Gas for the village of Burniston.

But local representatives are now calling for the meeting to be postponed because of government proposals to change planning rules on onshore oil and gas.

The call came in a letter released today by Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, the council chairs for Burniston, Cloughton and Newby and Scalby, the Mayor of Scarborough and the local county councillor.

In December, the government published a consultation on revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The draft proposed to remove the requirement that decisionmakers should give great weight to the benefit of minerals extraction, including to the economy.

A public consultation on the NPPF changes runs until 10 March 2026.

Today’s letter said:

“The removal of the ‘Great Weight’ factor allows a planning authority to give equal consideration to all views, without being required to tilt a decision in favour of an applicant.”

It said:

“To delay the planning meeting rather than to defer a decision, an option open to the planning committee, will allow the hearing to receive an up to date procedure to follow and all views to be heard.

“We believe that a short delay to the planning hearing would give time for the Government’s position on applications regarding onshore oil and gas drilling to become clear. Given that there could be very long-lasting implications for North Yorkshire following this hearing, it would be reasonable to delay this meeting until we know of any notable changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.”

Earlier this month, the chair of Burniston parish council and the local county councillor asked North Yorkshire to delay the meeting.

Yesterday Europa Oil & Gas Limited said there was “no justification for delaying a decision”.

Link to meeting details