The latest tranche of permits for exploratory drilling for shale gas issued by the Government puts National Parks including the Peak District and the North York Moors at risk of fracking underneath them, alongside Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Greenpeace analysis has shown.
Constituencies of many current and former Government ministers such as George Osborne in Tatton and Oliver Letwin in Dorset West - as well as Nick Clegg (Sheffield Hallam), Ed Miliband (Doncaster North) and Andy Burnham (Leigh) - can also now be fracked.
A majority of George Osborne’s constituents in Tatton oppose fracking, a Greenpeace poll in 2013 found.
The issuing of new permits comes just a day after a controversial Parliamentary vote to allow fracking under National Parks, AONBs, SSSIs, World Heritage Sites and other protected areas - and on the same day that the Government announced 65% cuts to crucial funding for solar energy.
Greenpeace analysis shows that, among others, fracking can now be carried out under the following areas:
National Parks:
- North York Moors
- Peak District
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs):
- Lincolnshire Wolds AONB
- Forest of Bowland AONB
- Howardian Hills AONB
- Dorset AONB
- Quantock Hills AONB
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs):
- Fairburn and Newton Ings, North Yorkshire/West Yorkshire
- Strensall Common, North Yorkshire
- Dark Peak, Peak District
- South Gare & Coatham Sands, North Yorkshire
- Seaton Dunes and Common & Seal Sands, North East
- Millington Wood and Pastures, East Riding of Yorkshire
Hannah Martin, Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace, said:
‘George Osborne might want to have a word with his constituents who could soon see fracking taking place in Tatton. They don’t buy the Government’s arguments for fracking - and why should they?
‘The Government has just hailed the successes of the Paris Climate Summit as an historic agreement in the fight against climate change and the transition to a renewable energy future. And now they’re offering up some of the most outstanding landscapes in the UK for fracking.
‘It’s not just local residents who are shocked - people across the UK rightly see this as an irresponsible move which jeopardises our treasured countryside and jars with our climate commitments in Paris by looking to kick start a whole new fossil fuel industry in the UK.’
Notes to editors:
- Each of the blocks is about 10km2. The government said the official Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences (PEDL) will give firms exclusive rights "to search and bore for and get petroleum in all the various stages of oil and gas operations – exploration, appraisal, production and abandonment of wells".
- However, the licences do not allow firms to start drilling, as they still require relevant planning consents and environmental permits before development can get under way.
