County council to oppose drilling rig plans for fracking tests

DERBYSHIRE COUNTY Council is to oppose plans by energy firm Ineos to erect a 60m-high drilling rig to test the suitability of the site for fracking after rejecting the recommendation of its own officers.

The authority’s planning committee yesterday voted nine to one in favour of a motion objecting to an application in the village of Marsh Lane, between Sheffield and Chesterfield.

The motion cited fears about impact on the green belt, traffic problems and “unacceptable night-time noise”. It will now be sent to the planning inspector to be taken into account during a planning inquiry in June, which will decide whether to grant permission for the development.

The decision followed a meeting at County Hall in Matlock where a series of residents and local figures set out their opposition to the application by Ineos, which has also submitted two similar bids in Rotherham.

But a report by Mike Ashworth, the authority’s strategic director for economy, transport and environment, said there were no “significant impacts or conflicts with development plan policy” that would justify the council objecting, provided certain measures were put in place.

Ineos is one of seven firms in Yorkshire with a licence to potentially do exploratory work with a view to carrying out the controversial practice, in which water and chemicals are injected into rocks to extract shale gas.

More than 3,000 objections from local residents were received in respect of the Marsh Lane site, with just nine people expressing support for it.

The Planning Inspectorate will hold a hearing on June 19.