Fracking given the go ahead in Lancashire

Hydraulilc fracturing – or fracking, the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks to force open existing fissures to extract oil or gas – will now take place at Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site situated at Little Plumpton in Lancashire. Plans for a second site at Roseacre Wood have not yet been approved.

The plans for both locations were originally refused permission by the Lancashire County Council due to concerns over noise and the impact of traffic. Javid’s decision to uphold Cuadrilla’s appeal for the Preston Road site in Lancashire will enable four shale gas exploration wells to be drilled next year.

Commenting on the decision, Prof Quentin Fisher, Professor of Petroleum Geoengineering at Leeds University said: “I'm very pleased with this decision. It will mean that the industry can get on and assess whether shale gas production is economically viable and determine the amount of producible gas that is contained within shale below the U.K.