Fracking company 'disappointed' with council's decision to oppose plans

The company which wants to carry out fracking tests in a north east Derbyshire village has said it is 'disappointed' after the plans were rejected by council planning chiefs.
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We reported on Monday how Derbyshire County Council's planning committee opposed proposals by chemical and oil firm Ineos to explore for shale gas reserves on land off Bramley Moor Lane in Marsh Lane, near Eckington.

However, the final decision will still be made by the Planning Inspectorate following a public inquiry starting June 19. This is because Ineos appealed saying the county council was taking too long to make a decision - something the authority denied.

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In a statement today Ineos said it was 'disappointed' with the outcome especially as the application had been recommended for approval by the council’s own officers.

Ron Coyle, CEO of Ineos Shale, said: “This is a bad decision because I believe development of a shale gas industry will lead to an economic renaissance, similar to the one seen in the U.S.A, with high paying, highly skilled jobs and massive investment in manufacturing, which is desperately needed in this country.

“We had hoped that the council’s final vote would reflect these realities but instead the decision exposes the council and council taxpayers to costly appeal proceedings – all because the decision has been led by politics and not science and has confused a request to drill a simple core bore well with other activities that may or may not happen in the future. It is also worth noting that Ineos Shale made this application to gather scientific data as part of its commitment to the Oil & Gas Authority to develop its license areas.”