“This is yet another setback for a fracking industry that is finding out just how tough it is to push their drilling plans on communities where opposition to this controversial technique is strong. There hasn’t been a single well fracked in the UK since July 2011 – despite all the hype the shale gas industry remains stuck in the starting blocks.
“The park authorities have been right to listen to the concerns voiced by over 2,000 people in the area who don’t want one of Britain’s most popular national parks disfigured by gas rigs, flares, and heavy lorry traffic.
“With the government’s pro-fracking argument unravelling and public support falling, it’s only going to get harder for shale gas companies to forge ahead with plans to industrialise our countryside.”
ENDS
Notes
The announcement was made by the South Downs National Park Authority chief executive, Trevor Beattie, at a public information meeting held in Chichester last night.
A decision on Celtique Energie’s planning application was expected in March. The park authorities told residents yesterday they would be unlikely to consider it until the summer.
Last week, solicitors acting on behalf of a group of landowners living on the boundaries of the potential fracking site wrote to Celtique stating they refuse to give the company permission to drill under their land.
Contact
Stefano Gelmini, Greenpeace UK, m 07506 512 442, stefano.gelmini@greenpeace.org
