Government declines to decide on gas drill plans

Plans to build a gas drilling rig in a North Yorkshire village will not be called in by the government, ministers have confirmed.

The proposal by Europa Oil & Gas for a 125ft (38m) rig in Burniston will instead be decided on by North Yorkshire Council.

A planning meeting to decide on the scheme, which was recommended by council officers for approval, was postponed in January after requests that the government look into the application.

But, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG ) said the secretary of state was "content that it should be determined by the local planning authority".

If approved, Europa would use a proppant squeeze method to extract the gas - a technique which has been likened to "small-scale fracking" and which is allowed under current legislation.

The oil and gas company behind the plan has previously said there was "no justification for delaying a decision on the application".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), over 1,600 local objections had been made against the proposal, citing environmental concerns.

The MHCLG said in a letter on Thursday: "The secretary of state has carefully considered the policy on calling in planning applications, as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement dated 26 October 2012.

"The policy makes it clear that the power to call in a case will only be used very selectively.

"This policy also gives examples of the types of issues which may lead him to conclude, in his opinion, that the application should be called in.

"The secretary of state has decided not to call in this application."

Barry Khan, North Yorkshire Council's assistant chief executive, legal and democratic services, said the authority had been notified of the decision.

"He is content that we, as the local planning authority, should determine the application," he said.

The authority was "working to arrange a date for our strategic planning committee to review and determine the application, which we will announce in due course", Khan added.

Steve Mason, North Yorkshire councillor and Lib Dem group opposition spokesperson for environment, accused the government of "missing the point" or "ignoring the communities".

"The call-in was requested due to the confusion and lack of clarity on the definition of fracking," Mason said.

"This is simply passing the buck to North Yorkshire councillors and officers, trying to make planning policy work under misguided, narrow semantic legislation."

Chris Garforth, of Frack Free Coastal Communities, said campaign group members would "redouble their efforts" to present their case to the committee.

Europa declined to comment to the LDRS on the decision.

It has previously said the Burniston scheme would be positive for the local economy and "no-one is going to notice" its presence.

The firm has insisted drilling would comply with "industry best practice" and environmental standards.

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