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Knowsley Council opposes fracking due to environmental concerns and lack of economic benefits. The government supports fracking and has issued exploration licences. Find out more here
Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is a method of extracting gas and oil from rock deep underground. In Knowsley, the rock is called Bowland shale.
The council agreed a motion in September 2015 opposing fracking and other unconventional gas extraction methods in Knowsley and surrounding areas.
Knowsley Council is opposed to fracking and other unconventional gas extraction methods because:
The Government supports exploring the potential of shale gas, via methods such as fracking. They have issued licenses for companies to explore for shale gas in different areas of the country, including Knowsley.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has issued licences for companies to begin exploring sites across the country for shale gas. In 2015, the Government set up an Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) to oversee oil and gas licensing and development including shale.
There is shale rock approximately 1,000 meters beneath Knowsley that is potentially gas-bearing. The full potential of the area is not yet known.
An area in the north of the borough, near Tower Hill in Kirkby, is within one of the exploration blocks awarded by the Government in the recent licensing round.
The award of these licenses by the Government does not automatically mean that exploration or drilling for shale gas and/or oil can begin.
Knowsley's Planning Committee can reject any application for fracking if it considers it does not meet national legislation and planning rules.
Planning Committee must consider any application on its merits and the following issues are likely to be of particular relevance to shale gas and/or oil planning applications:
These are some of the main issues and material considerations, alongside national and local policy, upon which the Planning Committee can base its decision whether to grant planning permission, regardless of the council’s opposition to fracking in principle.
To date, Knowsley Council has not received any planning applications from companies wishing to carry out investigations, testing, or fracking for shale gas and/or oil in Knowsley.
You can look at all planning applications submitted to Knowsley Council on the planning section of their website. You can also read the agendas and related reports for meetings of the Planning Committee in this section.