Fracking ban is a great step forward
“I always had a feeling this was going to be the case but I’m thankful the Scottish Government have listened to the people.
“Thankfully this is one fight that we don’t have to fight any longer.
“There are other environmental issues in and around Shotts but thankfully this one has been finished.”
Residents in Shotts called for a ban of fracking in Scotland back in May.
They made their views known during a public meeting in Springhill Community Centre.
The meeting was attended by residents who voiced their concerns about the environmental and health damages which the use of unconventional oil and gas extraction would bring to the town and the wider area.
The consultation meeting was supported by Shotts Community Council and was independently facilitated on their behalf by the Community Chatering Network.
North Lanarkshire was one of the local authority areas identified as potentially having significant shale oil and gas reserves or coal bed methane.
The Scottish Government previously announced a moratorium while it ran a public consultation and examined evidence over health and public safety.
The consultation was the second largest ever run by the Scottish Government, receiving 60,535 valid responses – of which 99 per cent were opposed to fracking.