(RT) – Lancashire County Council has unanimously voted to reject a planning application for fracking in the region. Residents and environmentalists, who have been protesting throughout the council’s two-day meeting, welcomed the news.
The county council’s
Development Control Committee refused Cuadrilla’s application to
drill for shale gas in the local Roseacre Wood area due to
concerns over traffic and activity on the site causing “an
unacceptable impact” on the roads.
Roseacre Wood is located between the Lancashire towns of Preston
and Blackpool.
In a statement, the council said: “The application for
Roseacre Wood was refused in line with officers’ recommendations
that the proposal would have an unacceptable and potentially
severe impact on the road network, both in terms of traffic and
the increased danger to other road users.”
County Councilor Marcus Johnstone, who is cabinet member for
environment, planning and cultural services, and a member of the
Development Control Committee, said: “The development control
committee has listened very carefully to many hours of evidence
both for and against the proposal, and considered the report of
the council’s planning officers.
“The decision to refuse this application has been reached by
a vote of the committee, and each member of the committee has
ultimately cast their vote based on the evidence they have heard
and whether they think the proposal is acceptable.”