Gas drilling plans submitted for coastal site

A planning application to drill for gas near the North York Moors National Park has been submitted.

Europa Oil & Gas said it would install a 98ft (30m) tall drilling rig on land in Burniston, near Scarborough, as part of its "proppant squeeze" project, if the application was approved by North Yorkshire Council.

The firm said the site was a "potentially significant gas resource" and, if further approvals were granted, extraction could take place for "about 20 years".

However, the firm has faced opposition from local residents and politicians concerned about the environmental impact of the scheme.

The company has previously said that a "slurry" would be injected into the well to fracture surrounding rocks, allowing more gas to be recovered.

The technique, which has been described as "small-scale fracking", has been accused by some of being a loophole in the UK's moratorium on the fossil fuel extraction process.

However, proppant squeeze procedures have been regularly used in the UK for a number of years, and industry experts consider the technique low-volume, unlike the process formally termed as "hydraulic fracturing".

Hundreds of pages of documents have been submitted to North Yorkshire Council detailing the company's proposals.

If given the go-ahead, the initial scheme at Burniston would test whether gas could be extracted on a commercially viable basis, according to Europa Oil & Gas.

The company's proposals said: "As a responsible oil and gas exploration and production business, Europa is highly conscious of its responsibilities and is mindful of the potential risks to people and the environment.

"Any risk of pollution caused by water run-off can be mitigated by using standard techniques that have proven successful at other on-shore sites."

The firm added there had been "a significant increase in protest activity by those opposed to fossil fuel exploration and production", which could mean "24/7" security was required at the site.

Scarborough and Whitby Labour MP Alison Hume and David Skaith, elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, had already opposed the plans, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The proposals have also met with opposition from environmental groups and residents' organisations.

Farmers raised concerns about the impact on ecology, as well as being "worried for the village in general with all the noise, the light pollution and the HGVs".

However, the company has said has said that "no one's going to notice" due to the "small volume" of the scheme.

The company has confirmed that "some of the gas will be flared on-site", which the Frack Free Scarborough group said would cause night-time pollution and unpleasant smells.

The group has announced it was planning a protest march in response to the plans later this month.

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