The Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas, accused the government of being the flag-waver-in-chief for the fracking industry, after she appeared in court on charges following a protest at Cuadrilla’s site near Balcombe. In a statement made outside Crawley Magistrates Court, she said ministers were ignoring warnings on the […]
Anti-fracking campaigners from Balcombe are taking their musical protest to London on Sunday (October 20th). During the summer, villagers organised three Belt It Out Balcombe singalongs to voice their opposition in song to Cuadrilla’s exploration for oil. The London event, described as “Singing a new World into being”, is part […]
Balcombe Parish Council is to ballot villagers on their opinion on future oil and gas exploration in the area. The ballot, to be run by Electoral Reform Services, will inform the council’s future policy on exploration and extraction. It aims to collect opinions on: Cuadrilla’s application for planning […]
The veteran environment journalist, Geoffrey Lean, says there is no sign that opposition to fracking is softening in Sussex. This week Mr Lean chaired a meeting between Balcombe villagers and the Environment Agency. He says around 300 people attended the meeting and none of the questions or comments […]
The No Fracking in Balcombe Society urged the government to abandon its support for fracking, following a ruling that the French Government ban can stay in place. The French state had been taken to court by the American oil and gas company, Scheupbach, which claimed the ban contravened the […]
The Guardian reports that the Environment Agency banned Cuadrilla from using a hazardous chemical in its well at Balcombe but gave permission for another substance, despite residents’ concerns. Chris Wick, of the Environment Agency, told a meeting of around 270 Balcombe residents the banned chemical was antimony trioxide, […]
The chair of the Environment Agency, Chris Smith, has assured a Sussex MP that local water will be protected from any pollution caused by fracking at Balcombe or beyond. Lord Smith was responding to concerns raised by Lewes MP, Norman Baker, about the potential expansion of fracking across […]
A further group of anti-fracking campaigners appeared in Crawley Magistrates Court this morning, charged following protests outside the Cuadrilla exploration site at Balcombe. The case against one campaigner was withdrawn by the Crown Prosecution Service. The cases against 11 others were adjourned until October 16th 2013, when they […]
West Sussex County Council confirmed (8/10/10) it is pursuing its legal action to take possession of roadside verges next to Cuadrilla’s exploration site at Balcombe, Anti-fracking campaigners have been camping along the verges since July. Last month, the council applied to the High Court for a possession order […]
The Guardian Diary reports today (8/10/13) it has confirmed, through a Freedom of Information request, that Energy Minister Michael Fallon met Cuadrilla on 24 June 2013, a month before the company got the go-ahead to drill at Balcombe. The Department for Energy and Climate Change could not confirm […]
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