A large landslip at fragile cliffs near the site of plans to drill and frack for gas has alarmed residents in the North Yorkshire village of Burniston.

The local campaign group, Frack Free Coastal Communities, has reported that a cliff fall at Burniston Rocks last month was 700m from the well pad proposed by Europa Oil & Gas site.

The group said in a newsletter:

“Our cliffs are already sliding into the sea!”

The site’s planning application is due to be discussed by North Yorkshire Council three weeks today (24 April 2026).

But controversially the decision will be made before a 3D seismic survey of the geology around the proposed site.

Frack Free Coastal Communities said:

“Unbelievably a 3D seismic study has not yet been carried out.

“This is required and necessary to ensure (among other things) there are no major underground faults (e.g. the major Peak Fault), and to measure how stable the ground will be under the pressure of drilling and fracking.

“The strategic planning committee are being asked to decide on the application without this vital information.

“The Burniston landslip is only 700m from the site. Based in Northallerton, do the councillors even know about this?”

Since the cliff fall, local people have noted with irony that North Yorkshire Council is due to accept a £97,000 grant to tackle coastal erosion in their area. The project aims to pilot an innovative nature-based solution, based on understanding coastal processes.  

More cliff fall images here

Seismic risks

Europa proposes to drill a well to a depth of about 2km at Burniston and carry out a lower-volume hydraulic fracture. The fracking operation involves injecting fluid and proppant at pressures high enough to fracture rocks.

Hydraulic fracturing by Cuadrilla at Preston New Road in Lancashire in 2019, using lower volumes of fluid than planned at Burniston, caused multiple small earthquakes, some of them felt across the Fylde region.

In Burniston, induced seismicity and threats to the fragile cliffs of the local North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast were among the top ten reasons to object to Europa’s plans.

There have been more than 1,600 objections to the proposal, many focussing on the risk of earthquakes and land movement caused by the fracturing operation.

Burniston Parish Council said in its formal objection:

“We know that there is a lack of up-to-date data of the ground underneath us, particularly in relation to fault lines.

“It is not understood how any planning decision can be made in this matter with such concerns and lack of data.”

Newby and Scalby Town Council said:

“without a comprehensive 3D seismic survey; without specific confirmation that the proposed development is located in an area of suitable geology; without compelling evidence that demonstrates that any induced seismicity can be managed and mitigated to an acceptable level; without detailed assessments … that specifically confirm the security of the sub-surface structure of the site, the adjacent SSSI and the local aquifer and water boreholes, it is simply too dangerous to approve this planning application.”

Friends of the Earth said:

“We don’t see how this is possible in light of the events that happened at Preston New Road, nor the lack of checks such a scheme of this nature would normally have to go through to undertake what is fracking by the back door.”

• The decision meeting on the Burniston planning application is due to be held at Scarborough Town Hall on Friday 24 April, starting at 1pm. Details and meeting agenda