Cuadrilla given green light to test for oil at Balcombe drill site
The Argus, Josh Walton, 9th January 2018
A COMPANY has been granted permission to test for oil at a village site where one of the largest anti-fracking protests in the country was held years ago.
West Sussex County Council‘s planning committee voted unanimously today to grant Cuadrilla temporary permission for flow testing and monitoring of an existing well at the Lower Stumble site in Balcombe, near Haywards Heath.
The site was the focus of high-profile anti-fracking protests in 2013, which saw the arrest of Brighton Pavilion Green MP Caroline Lucas.
The fracking process – in which liquid is pumped deep underground at high pressure to fracture shale rock and release gas – is highly controversial, with opponents warning it can cause earthquakes, pollute water and is not compatible with targets to cut the use of fossil fuels to tackle climate change.
Photograph: The Argus
