How to respond to West Sussex County Council about Cuadrilla’s new planning application
The story so far:
In 2013, Cuadrilla Resources (Balcombe) Ltd drilled a well at Lower Stumble.
As a village, we voted in February 2014 to keep oil companies out of Balcombe.
However, West Sussex County Council gave Cuadrilla planning permission to return. We contested this through a Judicial Review in the High Court, but lost. Cuadrilla never showed up in Balcombe to do their flow testing, and their planning permission expired in May 2017.
Most recent development:
On 27th October, Cuadrilla submitted a new planning application to flow test the well drilled in the summer of 2013. They want planning permission again, and have explicitly stated that if they find oil in recoverable quantities, they will immediately apply for further planning permission, to start producing oil.
We do not want them in Balcombe again, and must do everything in our power to stop them.
The first thing is to object to this planning application.
Anyone can object, but your objection has to be in your own words. You can be a resident of Balcombe or not. You can be an adult or a child. Everyone has the right to say why they don’t want Cuadrilla back in Balcombe.
On a wider note, if Cuadrilla find oil here, they won’t be content with just this one Balcombe well. It will mean many more wells, all over our countryside, with new roads to service them, and pipelines built to carry the oil away. As one oil company CEO put it, we’ll have ‘back to back wells’ across the Weald.
So, if you share our worries about the effect on our village and on Sussex, please make time to object to this application. Do not feel you can leave this to everyone else! Send in a written objection, by letter, email or online.
Reasons for objection to this planning application:
Air pollution – The prevailing wind blows from the site towards the village. It will bring toxic compounds from the flare, and emissions from the diesel generators on site. More HGV traffic means more emissions in the air we breathe.
Risk of water pollution – Contaminants may leak from the well into the aquifer above, or into the streams beside the site. These streams eventually end up in our drinking water. There may be other leaks and spills.
Noise – In 2013, Cuadrilla paid no attention to the limits on noise until we brought this to the attention of West Sussex County Council, who should have policed noise. Can we trust them this time?
Toxic waste disposal – The waste fluid from the well could be contaminated with heavy metals and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORMS). It will be extremely salty, perhaps five times as salty as seawater. Some will inevitably be left underground. Some will be transported by tanker, through the village, for disposal elsewhere.
Traffic volume and accident risk – There will be more traffic, particularly HGVs, driving past our village school and emitting particulates. Should there be an accident with an HGV carrying hazardous liquid, the consequences could be grave.
Wildlife and environment – There will probably be disturbances to the birds and bats in the ancient woodland near the site. The application says: ‘There is the potential for some minor, direct and indirect adverse effects to be experienced at sensitive receptors.’ That means birds, bats, other animals – and us, the residents!
What if something goes wrong? – Cuadrilla damaged a well they drilled in Lancashire, yet continued working without informing the authorities for six months. Cuadrilla is a limited company, and could go bankrupt and walk away if a serious accident occurred.
Village life – Cuadrilla’s return would mean more disruption and division in our community, and the beginning of the industrialisation of our countryside.
Cuadrilla has no social licence to be in Balcombe – we voted ‘no’ in 2014, and we don’t want Cuadrilla back.
Do not use the word ‘fracking’ (or hydraulic fracturing) in your objection. For now, Cuadrilla will be ‘acidising’, and that is all West Sussex County Council is allowed to consider. If you mention ‘fracking’, your objection may not be counted.
Do not refer to the potential fall in house prices if Cuadrilla returns. Again, this cannot be taken into account in this planning objection. (But it is a worry…)
How to submit your objection: Make sure you mention reference number WSCC/040/17/BA. Whichever way, include your name and address (or email):
- In writing, to: County Planning, West Sussex County Council, County Hall, Chichester, PO19 1RH
- By email, to: planning.applications@westsussex.gov.uk
- Online, click here for the West Sussex County Council’s website:
Give your name, address and email, then your comment. Don’t forget to select ‘Object’ in the final little box before you submit your objection. Otherwise your objection will not count…
Objections must be in by Thursday 30th November, so please don’t delay!
Spread the word among like-minded friends. Remember, kids can object, too!
And write your comment in your own words. It can be as long or short as you want.