To all Town and Parish Clerks in East Sussex
Process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for Shale Gas
As you may well be aware, there are significant public concerns over the process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for Shale Gas. A number of licences for oil exploration covering the north west of the County were granted by the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) in 2008. The County Council would be the determining authority for any planning application related to fracking. There are no current applications for oil and gas exploration in East Sussex. If any application was received, any decision would involve a rigorous examination of any potential environmental impact. Any application would be considered in the light of national planning policy as well as local planning policy which is set out in the Council's recently adopted Waste and Minerals Plan. In the event of a planning application, the proposals would be advertised and be subject to public consultation. Any application would be determined on its merits.
The County Council has now produced a Note of Frequently Asked Questions Section on Fracking which I am sure could answer many of the queries which have been arising. The FAQs can be found on the ESCC website under the Planning Heading. For convenience, I enclose a copy. I hope you will find the Note useful.The note can be read here.
Yours faithfully
Tony Cook
Head of Planning