Large Turn Out for Burniston Drilling Project Drop-In

More than 100 residents, activists and politicians attended a demonstration against plans for a hydraulic fracking project in Burniston yesterday.

A drop-in information session held by Europa Oil & Gas on Thursday, September 26, was met with a large demonstration against the company’s fracking plans.

More than 100 locals as well as activists who travelled from Nottingham and Lancashire came to make their views known on a rainy afternoon.

The session was organised by the oil and gas company after it confirmed its intention to submit a full planning application for a “proppant squeeze” or hydraulic fracking project which is set to include a 30m high derrick to test whether gas could be extracted on a commercially viable basis.  

Concerns have been raised about the climate and environmental impacts of the project, if it goes ahead, as well as on local roads due to HGVs moving materials, and potential impacts on house prices in the area.

While the company has said that “no one’s going to notice” due to the “small volume” of the scheme, political resistance has also grown with Labour’s local MP Alison Hume and combined authority mayor David Skaith stating their opposition to it.

“The fracking is going to take place under most of our land and I fear for the future of our family,”

said Debbie Green, who farms nearly 1,000 acres in the area.

The fifth-generation farmer said she was worried about an impact on underground waterways that supply her farm and livestock as well as “heavy metals that could end up in the soil”.

“I’m also worried for the village in general with all the noise, the light pollution, and the HGVs”.

Alison Willis, a local resident, said:

“We have such a beautiful area that we live in, not that it should make a difference, and it’s not a Nimby reason, I just think it’s going to spoil the landscape and impact the environment – we’re supposed to be going for net zero.”

The hydraulic fracking project could take up to 17 weeks and see more than 1,000 HGV movements but if the company deems the gas reserves financially viable, it could seek to drill up to five wells to be extracted over 10 years or more, if further plans were approved.

While Europa has said the project would bring the area new jobs and investment, many locals fear that news about a fracking operation would put off tourists from visiting the heritage coast and the North York Moors National Park which sits just 800m away from the proposed site at Burniston Mill.

While speaking to residents at the drop-in session, one engineer for the company said there would be “no benefit” to residents from the initial phase of the project.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Europa’s CEO William Holland said:

“Longer-term we will be able to provide local employment because it will be here for about 20 years.”

Coun Richard Parsons, chair of Burniston Parish Council, said:

“So far, of all the people that we’ve spoken to at different meetings or even on the street, there is an overwhelming objection to this taking place for a variety of reasons.”

Asked what he made of the opposition, CEO Mr Holland said:

“As with every construction operation, yes there is an impact but it would be temporary in this case and once it’s online, people wouldn’t notice it.”

North Yorkshire councillor and fracking campaigner, Steve Mason, said:

“I will be making sure that I take the fight as much as possible to prevent this from happening.”

He added:

“North Yorkshire is in a better place to reject this within planning rules rather than through a motion and that’s what we have to look at.”

The drop-in session at Burniston and Cloughton Village Hall had large banners providing information on the project and was attended by company staff who answered questions and engaged with the community.

However, concerns were raised about the accuracy of some of the information provided at the session as well as online.

One resident highlighted that Europa’s website states that Burniston and Cloughton is in the East Midlands and asked:

“If they can’t even get the location right, how are we supposed to trust them on the other stuff?”

As of Friday, September 27, the website still stated: “Cloughton – The East Midlands”.

Residents and politicians also urged the company to make as much information publicly available as soon as possible, with many highlighting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which North Yorkshire Council said would be required.

CEO Mr Holland said that the company would not apply for an exemption to the EIA.

When asked whether Europa would make the assessment publicly available ahead of the submission of the plans, he told the LDRS:

“I’m not sure if we are even allowed, though I think it’s a very good idea, and I want to be as transparent as possible.”

MP for Scarborough and Whitby, Alison Hume, has called on the Government to close a “loophole” in the ban on fracking although the company has said that “this is a misconception”.

Liberal Democrat Coun Mason said that allowing the project to go ahead “makes no logical sense”.

“I would challenge the minister to look at this and say, do we really need to be doing more fossil fuels… surely a simple solution is to close the loophole, why do we need on-shore?”

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