Oil & Gas Firm Submits Plans for Scarborough Drilling Rig

An application for ‘temporary three-year planning permission’ for a gas drilling rig in Burniston near Scarborough has been submitted by Europa Oil & Gas.

The oil and gas company has submitted a full application to explore for gas on agricultural land at Burniston, near Scarborough and the North York Moors National Park. 

If plans are approved, a 38m high drilling rig would be installed on the site and a ‘proppant squeeze’ project would be used to explore what Europa says could be a “potentially significant gas resource”. 

If the reserves are deemed financially viable and further plans were approved, extraction could take place for “about 20 years”. 

Since announcing plans last summer, the company has faced considerable opposition from residents concerned about pollution and environmental impacts as well as from politicians including local MP Alison Hume and elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith.

Several councillors and local campaign group Frack Free Coastal Communities have said that the technique, which has been described as “small-scale fracking”, is a loophole in the UK’s moratorium on the controversial fossil fuel extraction process.

The plans released by the company state: 

“For clarity, Europa will not use the process known as High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (commonly referred to as ‘fracking’).”

Hundreds of pages of documents have been submitted to North Yorkshire Council detailing the proposal and the authority is now also accepting representations from members of the public. 

The proposal has been met with opposition from various anti-fracking groups and residents’ organisations and in September more than 100 locals and activists gathered to protest outside an event organised by the oil and gas firm at Burniston and Cloughton Village Hall. 

Residents and local farmers have raised concerns about impacts on local 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 that “no one’s going to notice” due to the “small volume” of the scheme. 

“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,” the company said in a statement to the council. 

However, it noted there had been “a significant increase in protest activity by those opposed to fossil fuel exploration and production” and that “security may be required depending on the perceived level of potential protestor activity, and this may involve the need to have 24/7 specialist security operatives”.

The Frack Free Scarborough group has announced that it is planning a protest march later this month.

The proposed plans also include the installation of 2.5m high-security fencing around the perimeter, around six security and welfare cabins, and the creation of a car parking area for up to 12 cars.

A preliminary audit by Europa indicates a potential of 163 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas at Cloughton and the wellsite would appraise the gas reserves from the reservoir, followed by well abandonment, decommissioning and site restoration.

The ‘proppant squeeze’ is designed to extend 100-200m laterally in opposite directions from the wellbore, and approximately 40-80m in a vertical direction using 300-500 cubic metres of fluids and 60-80 tonnes of proppant which is made of “ceramic ‘beads’ akin to sand grains”.

Once the proppant squeeze process has been completed, the well would be flowed to determine pressure, quality and composition of the gas and following testing, the site would be restored to agricultural use. 

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

In addition to impacts on tourism and the character of the area, locals have said they are concerned about impacts on underground waterways. 

Proposals state: “Any risk of pollution caused by water run-off can be mitigated by using standard techniques that have proven successful at other onshore sites”. 

The following timeline for works has been put forward by Europa: 

• Site construction: seven weeks
• Drilling: seven weeks 
• Proppant squeeze and flow testing: 17 weeks (comprising initial test: one week, proppant squeeze: one week, and further flow testing: 15 weeks
• Wellsite decommissioning and restoration: six weeks

According to the plans: “Once mobilised to site, drilling will progress 24/7 until completion. Flow testing will be undertaken on a 24/7 basis.”

Plans estimate more than 1,100 HGV movements overall which could include up to 18 HGVs a day. 

The site lies 350m to the east of Burniston village, 700m southwest of the coastline, and 800m south of the North York Moors National Park boundary and has access directly off the A165 Coastal Road.

Comments on the application can be submitted at https://onlineplanningregister.northyorks.gov.uk/Register/Planning/Comment/NY/2025/0030/ENV