Derbyshire climate campaigners accuse council of leaving door open for fracking

The Derbyshire Climate Coalition, formed of green groups across the county, are pressing for changes to the county council’s draft minerals plan which it believes is crucial to whether planning applications to extract minerals and fossil fuels – including by fracking – receive approval or not.

A Derbyshire Climate Coalition spokesman stated: “The coalition believes that the policies relating to climate change need to be strengthened further to be in line with national and county carbon targets, and that there should be more emphasis on reducing energy demand and renewable energy rather than extraction of onshore gas and oil.”

While the council has amended a previous version of the plan in response to concerns from the community about climate change, according to Derbyshire Climate Coalition, the group believes the latest version still leaves the door open to unnecessary fossil fuel extraction in the county.

Derbyshire Climate Coalition’s Laura Stevens said: “National planning policy calls for radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It makes no sense to be extracting fossil fuels from Derbyshire. or anywhere in the UK when the Government continues to ignore opportunities for significant energy savings and has effectively banned onshore wind. We are off-track to meeting our carbon targets, the last thing we need is more damaging fossil fuels.”

The draft plan, which is being consulted on until May 2 is being approved by Derbyshire County Council before submitting it to the Secretary of State to be considered by an independent inspector at a public examination later this year.

In the meantime, other Derbyshire groups are also making their own submissions including CPRE Derbyshire, Transition Chesterfield and Derbyshire Mineral Plan Community Action Group which represents most of the groups in North East Derbyshire and Bolsover districts with an interest in the natural environment, climate change and hydrocarbon operations.

The Derbyshire Mineral Plan Community Action Group also includes Creswell Against Fracking, Dronfield and Coal Aston Against Fracking, Eckington Against Fracking, Bolsover Against Fracking and Barlborough Against Fracking.

Derbyshire Councty Council stressed that proposals for considering fracking have been tightened and the draft plan states that applications will not be supported for proposed fracking wells within 500 metres of communities.

The council also stated proposals will be required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with national and local targets and achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and proposals for coal extraction would have to demonstrate net zero emissions from the outset.”

A Derbyshire County Council spokesman said: “Derbyshire County Council, as a Mineral Planning Authority, has a legal obligation to make provision for the continued supply of important minerals in their area – including coal, oil and gas – in line with the National Planning Policy Framework, set down by the Government. The council is also required by law to include policies in their plans to ensure that development contributes to the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.

“Having consulted widely on the draft Minerals Local Plan at various stages throughout the process, the council considered all the comments received and, as a result, policies within the draft plan relating to climate change and the extraction of coal, oil and gas were altered and strengthened.

“Under these policies, there is a presumption against the extraction of coal to generate electricity and proposals for coal extraction for other markets would be required to be net zero for the whole lifetime of the development – including restoration and aftercare.

“The approach to considering proposals for fracking has also been tightened up and the draft plan makes clear that applications will not be supported for fracking wells proposed to be located within 500 metres of any part of our communities such as people’s homes, schools, residential homes and hospitals.”

Derbyshire County Council stated that should the draft plan be approved there will also be a requirement for all planning applications to include a Climate Change Impact Assessment showing how measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change have been considered, incorporated and will be monitored.

The council spokesman added: “Any proposals will be required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with national and local targets and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. In relation to proposals for coal extraction, they would have to demonstrate net zero emissions from the outset.”

Derbyshire Climate Coalition is formed of individuals and over 30 local and county wide groups, including green groups, anti-fracking groups, faith groups and trade unions.

It has been working with experienced planning consultant Dr Andy Tickle, who has over twenty years’ expertise of local and national mineral planning issues, and his work has been funded by a community grant from Friends of the Earth.