Lancs County Council orders fracking firm to clean-up site

 Lancashire County Council has rejected an application by fracking firm Cuadrilla for a two-year extension to restore its former Preston New Road drilling site to farmland. The application was unanimously refused at a meeting of the Development Control Committee today (4 December).

Cuadrilla had originally been required to complete restoration work by July 2023, a deadline that was later pushed back to June 2025. Council officers had recommended refusal of the latest request.

The Preston New Road site was the location of a 2.9ML earthquake in 2019, which prompted the current fracking moratorium. Lancashire County Council is run by a Reform UK majority administration. 

Helen Rimmer, north west England regional campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said:

"We’re pleased the council has rejected Cuadrilla’s attempt to delay clean-up of this former fracking site – but it should have been forced to restore this land to agricultural use long ago.

“This sorry saga is a further warning of the threat posed by fracking. It blights our countryside, triggers earthquakes and would do nothing to bring down UK energy bills and create good local jobs. No wonder it remains deeply unpopular with communities across the country.

"Lancashire County Council must now take enforcement action and instruct Cuadrilla to restore the site immediately, in accordance with monitoring requirements."

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