Communities fighting onshore oil and gas
The landmark legal case on oil production at Horse Hill, which will be heard by the Supreme Court on 21 & 22 June, could threaten plans for a controversial new coal mine in Cumbria – as well as other fossil fuel developments.
West Cumbria Mining Ltd, the company behind Britain’s first new coal mine for decades, is one of three bodies which has been given permission to intervene in the case – meaning they can make written or oral submissions to aid the court’s understanding.
Campaigners are staging a peaceful protest at the Wytch Farm oil site on Bank Holiday Monday (May1) and calling for Perenco’s licences to be withdrawn.
The site is the biggest onshore oil production site in Europe, but Perenco was heavily criticised after an oil spill into Poole Harbour in March.
Continue reading “Protest and Petition to stop oil at Wytch Farm”
UPDATE: The Planning & Regulatory Committee REFUSED this proposal.
Surrey County Council’s Planning & Regulatory Committee will discuss IGas’s application for installation of a steam methane reformation unit for the production of hydrogen from methane extracted from the Albury wellsite at their meeting on 29 March 2023.
The Council’s Planning Development Manager has recommended the plans be REFUSED – on grounds including harm to the Green Belt and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and failure to demonstrate that the development would not result in an unacceptable risk to protected lichen habitats.
Continue reading “Surrey planners recommend refusal of hydrogen scheme at Albury”
Frack Free Balcombe Residents Association (FFBRA) is going to court to challenge the Planning Inspector’s decision to allow Angus Energy to flow test in Balcombe.
Donate towards FFBRA’s legal costs
Continue reading “Residents launch legal challenge to permission for flow testing at Balcombe”
UPDATE
The High Court gave the go-ahead to the legal challenge against exporatory gas drilling near Dunsfold.
The court decided that the challenge should be considered on two grounds, concerning whether the government gave sufficient consideration to harm to the nearby Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and inconsistencies with its decision to refuse permission for gas testing at Ellesmere Port because of carbon emissions.
Continue reading “Challenge to Surrey Gas Drilling decision at the Royal Court of Justice”
The Weald Action Group has responded to the government’s consultation on proposed updates to the National Planning Policy Framework.
Continue reading “The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: our response to national policy reforms”
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has applied to intervene in the legal case brought by campaigner Sarah Finch against Surrey County Council over planning permission for new oil wells and production at Horse Hill in Surrey. This is the first time the OEP has sought to use its powers to intervene in judicial review proceedings.
Continue reading “WAG welcomes groundbreaking development in Horse Hill Case”
On 2 March, campaigners from Protect Dunsfold and Waverley Borough Council will be at the High Court, asking the Court to allow a judicial review of the decision by the government in June 2022 to permit exploration for gas in Dunsfold. Surrey County Council’s planning committee had twice rejected this project.
Continue reading “High Court to hear Dunsfold judicial review request on 2 March”
The Environmental Audit Committee, a cross-party committee of MPs has published its report on Accelerating the transition from fossil fuels and securing energy supplies.
Continue reading “MPs’ report on fossil fuels transition welcome but does not go far enough”
We’re so grateful for the life and work of the former Green MEP Keith Taylor who has died in Brighton. Keith was a pillar of support to the Weald Action Group and the community campaigns against oil and gas around the South East. He was the Green MEP for the South East until Brexit in 2019 when he was forced to retire. We mourn his loss and send love and best wishes to his family and close friends.
Read a longer tribute to Keith Taylor
