A Cheshire East councillor has sought reassurance that Cheshire East Council is not anti-fracking and would keep an open mind if applications came forward in light of the current energy crisis, writes Belinda Ryan.
Cllr Sarah Pochin (Bunbury, Ind) was speaking during a debate on the council’s draft minerals and waste plan at the environment and communities committee.
“We’re told that no applications have been made to date to frack within the borough in this period,” she said.
“But clearly the current environment may change the government’s view and how much we encourage fracking.
“I see [looking at the draft policy] that clearly we’re setting a very high bar to any applications that may come forward for fracking.
“But I would like reassurance from our officers that the council is not anti-fracking and that, in the environment that we find ourselves in and needing to secure potentially in the future our own energy supplies, that we would look with an open mind on any applications that came forward.”
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock.
It was halted in 2019 in the UK because of concerns over the possibility of earth tremors.
Recently there have been calls for the government to re-consider the ban because of the soaring cost of energy and concerns over supply.
The officer told Cllr Pochin the draft policy outlined the council’s ‘balanced approach’.
The draft plan states: “Whilst accepting that hydrocarbon-related proposals and activities may come forward during the plan period, the council is concerned to make sure that they can be undertaken in a way that does not unacceptably impact on the environment and the amenity of local communities.
“Particular consideration will be given to the location of hydrocarbon development involving hydraulic fracturing, having regard to impacts on water resources, seismicity, local air quality, landscape, noise and lighting impacts.
“Such development will not be supported within protected groundwater source protection zones or where it might adversely affect or be affected by flood risk or within air quality management areas or protected areas.
“As with all applications, hydrocarbon proposals requiring planning permission will need to satisfy all relevant policies within the statutory development plan as a whole if they are to be permitted.”
Knutsford councillor Quentin Abel (Ind), the council’s environment and climate change champion, said: “I recognise that there are certain people who are perhaps keener on fracking than other members of society and often it’s clearly down to the amount of information being readily available.”
He asked for assurances that information would be available and said: “The real question is, we’re definitely going to be consulting with members of the public on these issues aren’t we?”
He was referring to a number of aspects raised in the plan, not just fracking.
Cllr Abel added: “I share in the desire for us to be energy independent, I just think we have to really understand the full implications of actions we take now on the future.”
The officer said: “We’re consulting now on the [minerals and waste] policy itself and, of course, there will be individual consultations on any application itself that may come forward.”
The committee approved the draft version of the minerals and waste plan for public consultation.
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