Shale gas application refused

Members of Lancashire County Council's Development Control Committee have voted to refuse the application by oil and gas company Cuadrilla to explore for shale gas at Roseacre Wood by drilling, hydraulically fracking and testing the flow of gas.

The committee approved a separate application for the same site to enable Cuadrilla to monitor its operations.

The application for Roseacre Wood was refused in line with officers' recommendations that the proposal would have an unacceptable and potentially severe impact on the road network, both in terms of traffic and the increased danger to other road users.

County councillor Marcus Johnstone, cabinet member for environment, planning and cultural services, and member of the Development Control Committee, said: "The development control committee has listened very carefully to many hours of evidence both for and against the proposal, and considered the report of the council's planning officers.

"The decision to refuse this application has been reached by a vote of the committee, and each member of the committee has ultimately cast their vote based on the evidence they have heard and whether they think the proposal is acceptable." A decision on a second site, at Preston New Road, near Little Plumpton, has been delayed until Monday.