A final end to fracking at Misson

CPRE Nottinghamshire is delighted that the only remaining shale gas site in our county has been ordered to be restored to its original state.

The county council’s planning committee has voted to refuse an application by IGas to extend the life of planning permission at its site at Misson by another three years. The decision went against a recommendation to approve from council planning officers.

IGas wanted to keep the Misson site until November 2023 while it attempted to overturn the moratorium on fracking in England. CPRE Notts was amongst various other campaign groups, local councils, and more than 70 people who had submitted objections to the application. There were no public comments in support.

The Misson well pad, known as Springs Road, is next to the Misson Carr site of special scientific interest (SSSI), a large wetland fen that is home to all five species of British owl, as well as other rare and threatened birds, plans and insects.

Springs Road was mothballed after IGas drilled the first of two permitted wells. The original planning permission had given IGas enough time to complete the proposed work at Springs Road, but the company had chosen not to do so. A moratorium on fracking has been in force in England since November 2019. This was imposed by the government after earthquakes caused by fracking at Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site near Blackpool. IGas said last year that it would not carry out any exploration work at Misson while the moratorium was in place. But if the moratorium were lifted, the company said it would seek to drill a horizontal well and carry out fracking. The company had said initial analysis of data showed “a very material world-class resource” of shale gas. Analysis was ongoing, it said, and would allow the design of the horizontal well to be finalised.