Campaigners Plan Burniston “March Against the Gas Field”

Frack Free Coastal Communities and Frack Free Scarborough are urging residents to join them on a march through Burniston in a show of opposition to Europa Oil & Gas’s plans to drill for gas under local villages.

A protest march against a planned gas drilling site near Scarborough and the North York Moors National Park will take place later this month.

Campaigners from anti-fracking groups in Scarborough and the wider coast have said a protest will take place on Saturday, March 22, against plans submitted by Europa Oil & Gas.

The oil and gas company is seeking to install a 38m high gas drilling rig on land in Burniston, near Scarborough, as part of its “proppant squeeze” project which was submitted last week.

If plans are approved by North Yorkshire Council, the initial scheme at Burniston would test whether gas could be extracted on a commercially viable basis and, if further approvals were granted, extraction could take place for “about 20 years”.

Residents and campaigners said the march through Burniston would be “a show of opposition against plans to drill for gas under local villages”.

According to organisers, the event is backed by York City Unison, Parents For Future UK, Scarborough Green Party, York City Unison, Scarborough Unity, Social Justice Party Scarborough, Friends of the Earth and York Trades Council.

John Atkinson, a member of Frack Free Scarborough, said: 

“We can’t just rely on the planning process to protect us.

“It is vital we back up individual objections with a collective show of opposition on the streets and within our organisations. We intend to be a force that can’t be ignored.”

Concerns and opposition have also been raised by politicians including councillors, local MP Alison Hume, and the elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith.

However, the company has said that “no one’s going to notice” due to the “small volume” of the scheme. In a statement to the council the company 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,”

Chris Garforth from Frack Free Coastal Communities said: 

“We’re fed up with being fobbed off with misinformation and platitudes from fossil-fuel dinosaurs. 

The company is playing down residents’ justified concerns about damage to the local rural and coastal environment, the impact of hundreds of heavy goods vehicles on road safety, air and noise pollution, methane leaks, flaring, and the potential for earthquakes and damage to important aquifers. To say nothing of the damage to efforts to keep global warming down to survivable levels.”

The protest is scheduled to start at 1pm on Saturday, March 22 at Burniston and Cloughton Village Hall and the march will end at the entrance of the proposed drilling site on Coastal Road, Burniston.

As part of submitted plans, Europa noted that 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.

The planning application can be seen at
https://onlineplanningregister.northyorks.gov.uk/Register/Planning/Display/NY/2025/0030/ENV

Frack Free Coastal Communities says it is holding an open meeting on March 18th at the Scarborough Rugby Club at 7pm to discuss the plans, there is more information at https://www.frackfreecoastalcommunities.co.uk/

"At Burniston Parish Council, working with Councillors from Cloughton Parish Council and Newby and Scalby Town Council, we have been looking at the proposed application and its potential impact, this included a public consultation.

 

Now that the application has been received, we will be taking further consultation, finalising our response and submitting it to the Planning Officers, at North Yorkshire Council.

 

Whether you are in favour of this application or against it, if you want your opinion to be heard by North Yorkshire Council, it is imperative that you contact them directly."