Do you live in north Yorkshire? Here's how to tell the council you oppose fracking

Posted by Richard Casson — 29 September 2015 at 9:49am - Comments
by-nc-sa. Credit: Flickr / theweeklybull

Fracking firm Third Energy wants to frack for shale gas in Ryedale, North Yorkshire. But before they can go ahead they've got to obtain planning permission -- and right now North Yorkshire County Council is running a consultation on its website, inviting Yorkshire residents to email in with their views.

This is our chance to derail Third Energy plans. If enough of us email in and object, councillors could block Third Energy and send a clear signal to other companies that fracking is not wanted in Yorkshire, or anywhere else.

We've just launched a new page on our website making it easy to email in your views. If you live in north Yorkshire and have two minutes spare to take part then you can get started here. And if you're stuck for what to write, take a look below.

Talking points

Here are some suggestions of what you might like to put in your messages. Don't feel you have to include all of them – you can pick the ones that resonate with you most. If you would like to make a more detailed objection, please visit Frack Free Ryedale’s website for more guidance and a downloadable letter you can customise.

Your thoughts on the area

If you happen to have a connection with the area -- for example, you live elsewhere but you’ve have visited Ryedale on holiday, or have family or friends there -- you could also add comments on this. Explaining why you think fracking is a bad idea for this tourist and agricultural area will also help make your objection stronger.

Traffic

The planning application states that there will be at least 910 Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) movements and 504 Light Goods Vehicle (LGV) movements in the first eight weeks, making 1,414 traffic movements in total. This traffic will travel through Kirby Misperton village and along country roads, resulting in increased noise and air pollution, and an increased risk of traffic accidents.

Contamination risks

The fracking process uses a high-pressure mix of chemicals to blast rocks and release trapped gas and oil. If any fluids used for fracking escape from the site, they could reach the surrounding area and contaminate local farmland and groundwater. Pollutants could also enter the local water network via the site drainage system if there was a spill on the site. These pollutants could contaminate the local becks and rivers, harming fish and other aquatic species.

Accidents

Wastewater potentially containing NORM (Natural Occurring Radioactive Materials) and toxic chemicals in concentrated form will be transported through Kirby Misperton village and stored on-site. No amount of planning and regulation can prevent human error. And any accident where a spillage occurs could be extremely damaging to the environment. This presents an unacceptable risk to the local community.

Noise and light pollution

  • The levels of noise at the site during the first two stages will be very much higher than would normally occur in this quiet rural location (up to 90 dB on-site, which is as loud as a nightclub).
  • The noise will be very audible within the village, particularly in nearby properties, caravan parks and campsites, and will also carry across country for many miles in all directions (despite the 'Noise Attenuation Barrier' – basically a wall of shipping containers – that Third Energy propose to build around the well).
  • Work will take place 23 hours a day for the first five months, and will be particularly noisy during the first two months, subjecting local residents to unreasonable disturbance.
  • The use of bright lighting during night time work will be intrusive to residents in what is an unlit area, particularly during the autumn and winter months.

Impact on jobs and tourism

If fracking is allowed in Ryedale, it could threaten jobs in the key local industries of tourism and agriculture. Tourists are unlikely to visit the area if they feel that the peace and quiet will be compromised by fracking wells, their health is threatened, or that they will have to cope with large increases in HGV traffic. This is confirmed in the government's own Shale Gas Rural Economy Impacts Paper, which states: "[fracking] may reduce the number of visitors and tourists in the rural area, with an associated reduction in spend in the local tourism economy."

Impact on wildlife

Ryedale is a rural location with a wide range of wildlife near the site, some of which are protected species. Wildlife will be adversely affected by light pollution, noise and vibration, particularly at night, where it will disturb owls and bats. This disturbance to their habitat could lead to some species leaving the area permanently, which would affect the delicate ecological balance of the area. Depending on the time of year, this can also cause problems with breeding and hibernation.

Precedent

If this application is approved, it may be harder for the Council to reject future fracking applications as a precedent will have been set. This could result in hundreds of fracking wells across Ryedale and North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire County Council should follow the example set by Lancashire County Council and say no to fracking.

Climate change

We need to leave these fossil fuels in the ground and invest in clean, renewable energy instead. The International Energy Agency has warned that most of the gas and oil we've already found should stay in the ground if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change. As with all national and local government, North Yorkshire County Council has a duty to future generations to ensure that these fossil fuels are not exploited.

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