Uncategorized

Roseacre Wood Public Inquiry ends

April 26th, 2018 | Uncategorized | No Comments

 

The Public Inquiry into Roseacre Wood has now finished. You can see the livestreams of each day of the hearing here. Please note that this archive will only be available for a number of days.

Drill or Drop has provided extensive coverage of each of the days.

For a very detailed account of the PI please see Counterbalance.

The Planning Inspector will now look at the evidence and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State, Sajid Javid, as to whether Cuadrilla should be permitted to develop the Roseacre Wood site. We expect this process to take a number of weeks/months.

Cuadrilla releases revised traffic plans for Roseacre Wood

November 29th, 2017 | Uncategorized | No Comments

With typical disregard for residents, Cuadrilla has released its revised traffic plans to the press but not to residents.  Roseacre Awareness Group has reacted angrily to the new plans, claiming that a further five communities will be affected by the the new routes and will risk even more people’s lives. The plans also include the creation of a large number of passing places, as well as the installation of new traffic lights.

In June 2015, Lancashire County Council refused planning permission for Roseacre Wood because of traffic management concerns. Wendy McKay, the Inspector of the Public Inquiry held the following year, supported LCC’s views – but Savid Javis, the Tory Communities Secretary, said he was ‘minded’ to give permission to Cuadrilla if they could come up with alternative traffic plans.

 

 

Blue Route: The original route from the A584 at Clifton, along Dagger Road and Salwick Road, and either through the defence site DHFCS Inskip site or the village of Wharles

Green Route: New route from the A585 north of the site, through the villages of Thistleton, Elswick and Roseacre

Red Route: New route from the A585 north of the site, through the villages of Thistleton, Elswick, Crossmoor and Inskip and either through DHFCS Inskip or the village of Wharles.

Details of the plans are available on Cuadrilla’s website.

A public consultation on Cuadrilla’s Traffic Management Plans is open until 10 January 2018. If you wish to make a representation in respect of the revised transport route strategy and related environmental information, please submit it by email to or in writing to: Development Management Group, Lancashire County Council, PO Box 100, County Hall, Pitt Street, Preston PR1 0LD by the 10th January 2018 quoting the appeal reference number (APP/Q2371/W/15/3134385).

The public inquiry is provisionally scheduled to start at 10am on Tuesday, 10 April 2018 at Blackpool Football Club. It is expected to sit for eight days (Tuesday-Friday). Inquiry website.

Please do contact LLC. These roads and villages are totally unsuitable for HGVs. Plus, if these plans do get passed by the government, we know from what has happened at the Preston New Road site that there will be numerous breaches by Cuadrilla as the company implements traffic management changes to best suit itself.

Further information is available at Drill or Drop.

First Green Monday organised for 14 August, 10.00 am – 4.00 pm

August 14th, 2017 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Organised by the North West Green Party, this is the first of a series of ‘Green Mondays’ for members of the Green Party and environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, who will join the ongoing protests against fracking at the Preston new Road site. This Monday (14/08) we will be joined by former Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett.

For those using public transport, the nearest station is Kirkham-and-Wesham: from there, cross over the road outside the station and catch the #61 bus, which takes about 15 minutes. There is a bus stop very close to the fracking site. Alternatively, you could take a bike and cycle from Kirkham-and-Wesham station, which also takes about 15 minutes.

For those coming by car, the best route for getting there is as follows: Come off the M55 @ Jnc 4, onto the A583, signed Preston/Kirkham. Free parking is available at: Maple Farm Nursery Garden, Moss House Lane (off Preston New Road), PR4 3PE – Tel: 01772- 685166. The farm is less than a 20-minute walk from the fracking site.

You can go to the gates directly or meet at the Preston New Road Community Action Hub at Maple Farm (see above) at 10.00 am, from where we can walk up to the site together. The Hub will provide hot drinks, food, information, etc.

Lancashire Fracking Challenge Court Dates

June 24th, 2017 | Uncategorized | No Comments

PRESS RELEASE from Preston New Road Action Group

23rd June 2017

The Court of Appeal has granted Preston New Road Action Group (PNRAG) permission to appeal the planning court’s earlier judgment to allow fracking in rural Lancashire. In April, the planning court dismissed PNRAG’s challenge against the Secretary of State’s decision to overturn Lancashire County Council’s rejection of an application by Cuadrilla to drill for and extract shale gas through hydraulic fracturing (commonly known as fracking).

The group’s legal team announced today, that their appeal will be heard in London on the 30th and 31st of August.

A spokesperson for Preston New Road Action Group said:

“We hope and pray that justice will be delivered and that Sajid Javid’s decision will be found unlawful and quashed.

“Our community, Westby Parish Council, Fylde Borough Council and Lancashire County Council all refused this dangerous application, and for many good reasons.

“Local democracy was dismantled and overturned by central government, who seemingly wish to micro-manage decisions that are not theirs to make. We believe that this was unlawful and that Cuadrilla’s site development should be stopped.

“This case is no longer simply about fracking: it is about true justice and genuine democracy being delivered at local level.

“For this reason, we will continue with our strategy to challenge this decision on every level. We are hugely grateful to everyone who has supported us, in so many ways, to reach this point.”
ENDS

 

Daily Updates on Preston New Road Rolling Roadside Protest

February 24th, 2017 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Tina Rothery (and occasionally Miranda Cox) writes a daily blog about events at the Preston New Road site. These are detailed posts about Cuadrilla’s activity, the actions of the protectors and police behaviour.

Tina is at the roadside almost every day and we are indebted to her commitment and dedication in writing her blog. You can access it here.

 

 

 

Support Tina Rothery against Cuadrilla, Friday 9 December, Preston

December 8th, 2016 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Anti-fracking campaigner and Nana Tina Rothery  has to appear in court on Friday 9 December and is  under threat of 14 days in prison for contempt. Please come along and support her. Further details about the case including a plea by Tina’s solicitor to Cuadrilla to drop the case can be read in the post below.

 

 

Wear yellow, bring placards, be there!

Screening of Grounsdswell Rising, Ribby Hall, 5 November 2.00-5.00 pm

October 21st, 2016 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Mark Lichty (producer Groundswell Rising) is coming to give a Q&A at Ribby Hall, on the afternoon of 5 November at 2.00 – 5.oo pm. Folwing the screening of the film, there will be a  Q&A session.

Mark Lichty has 29 years experience in the oil and gas industries. He lives in Dimmock, Pennsylvania so has direct experience of fracking!

This is a free event; all welcome.

A Message from Emma Thomson

April 27th, 2016 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Wednesday, 27 April 2016

As you read this, I’m occupying a field in Lancashire earmarked for fracking.

Very soon, Cuadrilla could be drilling for dirty energy at my feet – but not if I’ve got anything to do with it! I’m here with my sister Sophie and we’re using whisks and wooden spoons (and a bit of humour!) to expose the dangers of fracking.

We desperately need your help to amplify the noise we’re making. Click to watch and share our unique anti-fracking protest live from Lancashire:

The people of Lancashire are our inspiration for this unusual, illegal protest. In 2014, twenty-or-so mums and grandmas – known as the Lancashire Nanas – set up a protest camp in the same field I’m stood in now. For three weeks they protested peacefully, giving out cakes and tea as they explained the dangers of fracking to people who passed by.

After the Lancashire Nana’s occupation, Cuadrilla got desperate – they took out a legal injunction to block more protestors from trespassing on their fracking site. But if Cuadrilla thinks their injunction will stop us making ourselves heard then they’re wrong.

That’s why today we’re back on the fracking site the Lancashire Nanas occupied. This time we’re using Bake Off – the UK’s best-loved TV show – to help get fracking onto the front pages of newspapers and onto politicians’ lips. You might have friends and family who don’t know much about the dangers of fracking, so please click the link to tune in to our Frack Free Bake Off and help get the message out:

In Lancashire public opposition to fracking is overwhelming, just as it is in so many other parts of the UK. But it looks like David Cameron’s government could still give the industry the go ahead here.

That’s not what I call democracy – and I know that there are so many who agree. That’s why more than 100,000 of us have told the government not to silence communities that vote against fracking. So today it would mean a lot to me if you can spare a minute to spread the word about how we’re pushing back. Click here to join in:

Thank you so much for everything you do!

Emma Thompson, together with Greenpeace UK

Actions for this week

December 31st, 2015 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Week 27 December-3 January. Please click and get involved. (Actions to stop fracking: pp. 1-5; Actions to support renewables & divestment: p. 6).

Please note that other actions are listed on our What can You Do page.

 

Trafford Council approves planning app to drill for coal bed methane

October 8th, 2015 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Trafford Council has this evening (08/10/15) approved an iGas planning application to drill for Coal Bed Methane, seen as the `evil twin of fracking’, right next to the Trafford Centre. The application was given the go-ahead despite concerns which Friends of the Earth stated would be a “serious dereliction of duty to local residents“.

More details are available in the Salford Star.