Fracking revolution! Ministers overrule locals to approve shale gas sites amid fears house prices will sink as fast as the drills

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Ministers have defied a welter of opposition to give the go-ahead for fracking plans.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid today approved proposals for using the controversial mining technique at a site in Lancashire known as Preston New Road - but refused permission for another project nearby.

Opponents fear the technique can cause earthquakes, pollute water, lead to damaging development in the countryside and hit house prices. 

The deeply controversial process involves drilling horizontally under ground before using explosive charge and high water pressure to extract gas.

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Plans for fracking in at Preston New Road, Lancashire, were given the go-ahead today. Fracking in the county has been met with widespread opposition amid concern about the environmental impact of the policy

Protests continued today in Roseacre despite Sajid Javid's refusal to give fracking the go-ahead in the Lancashire village 

The landmark ruling means shale rock gas can be 'fracked' horizontally for the first time - potentially paving the way for a rich new source of energy for the UK.

Lancashire County Council turned down planning applications for fracking for shale gas at Preston New Road and Roseacre Wood, even though its officials had recommended one of the schemes.

Cuadrilla appealed against against the decision and it went to a public inquiry which was heard earlier this year. Mr Javid has now approved the Preston New Road site.

Only one other fracking licence has been granted – for the firm Third Energy at Kirby Misperton in Ryedale, North Yorkshire. 

However, there are scores of other sites where there may be fracking potential. Other potential sites include Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire and Broadford Bridge in Sussex.

Britain imports about half the gas it uses. The National Grid calculates this could rise to 93 per cent by 2040. 

Shale gas has already revolutionised energy production in the US. Mr Javid said the decision to pursue fracking would boost the UK economy, adding: ‘Shale gas has the potential to power economic growth, support 64,000 jobs, and provide a new domestic energy source, making us less reliant on imports.

‘When it comes to the financial benefits of shale, our plans mean local communities benefit first.’

Under the Government’s shale wealth fund, it could pay up to £10million per community affected by a fracking site. 

These would be drawn from business rates on the sites. Some industry sources warn that communities might have a long wait as significant revenues are unlikely before 2025.

Mr Javid did not grant approval for drilling at Roseacre Wood but said he was ‘minded’ to allow it.

Last night, Preston New Road Action Group chairman Pat Davies said: ‘This is a sad day as it is clear to all that this government neither listens nor can it be trusted to do the right thing for local communities.’

Barry Gardiner, Labour’s shadow minister for energy, said: ‘Tory ministers pay lip service to tackling climate change but are bending over backwards to force through new fossil fuel infrastructure, with divisive bribes, tax breaks and ministerial powers that over-ride the wishes of local communities.

‘The next Labour government will ban fracking and focus on unlocking the jobs and growth that a new clean low-carbon energy infrastructure can provide for our industry, workforce and communities.’

Greenpeace campaigner Hannah Martin said: ‘Fracking will put our countryside and air quality at risk. Digging up more fossil fuels that we can’t burn if we are to honour the international agreement we signed in Paris and is coming into force next month makes little economic or environmental sense.’

But the move was welcomed by unions. Stuart Fegan, of the GMB, said: ‘The go-ahead will reduce the gas we will need to import from regimes fronted by henchmen, hangmen and head-choppers as the UK will need to use gas for years to come to heat our homes and generate electricity on the 60 days each year when there is no wind.’

When David Cameron was prime minister, he said the Government was going 'all out for shale' to boost the economy, jobs and energy security.

Soon after she took over as PM, Theresa May launched a consultation which could see home owners receive individual payments for fracking wells drilled nearby.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid, pictured during this week's party conference, has approved one of the sites, but rejected planning permission for another 

But the process - in which liquid is pumped deep underground at high pressure to fracture shale rock and release gas - remains highly controversial, with many protesters turning out for the public inquiry.

Fracking has been mired in controversy since it hit the headlines in 2011 for causing two minor earthquakes in Lancashire, prompting a temporary ban.

The moratorium was later lifted, with controls put in place to prevent tremors, but fracking continues to attract opposition over fears it can also cause water contamination, noise and traffic pollution.

With the Government set to ratify the global Paris Agreement on cutting greenhouse gases before the end of the year, environmentalists argue fracking for fossil fuels is not compatible with tackling climate change and the focus should be on renewables.

Huge parts of England and Wales could potentially be fracked. Licensing arrangements vary across the country, with some already licensed and others simply under review 

Liberal Democrat climate spokeswoman Lynne Featherstone said: 'This decision sets a very dangerous precedent, with the government riding roughshod over the will of the local people. 

'Fracking poses a huge risk to our countryside, environment and efforts to tackle climate change, we must continue to fight it at every turn. 

'At a time when the rest of the world is moving towards low carbon, this Conservative government is taking us in completely the wrong direction.' 

A fracking boss insisted today that drilling for gas is better than importing it.

Fracking protests in Lancashire, pictured today, are set to continue after Mr Javid's decision to green light the process at one site 

Opponents claim the mining technique can cause earthquakes, pollute water, lead to damaging development in the countryside and hit house prices

Francis Egan, chief executive of Cuadrilla, the company behind the plans in Fylde, said the controversial process is the best solution for the UK's fuel shortage.

He told Good Morning Britain: 'The country needs gas. The country is running out of gas, and without some form of energy development, we're going to end up importing all of our fuel from overseas, and we've seen that just last week with the ridiculous situation where Scotland is importing shale gas from America, which frankly is crazy.'

Addressing local concerns about traffic, Mr Egan said that after an initial construction and drilling period the traffic would be 'down to three or four trucks a week'.

He said the impact of a producing site is 'far less, frankly, than a wind farm'.

He added: 'The fact is that this is a temporary development. There is traffic, obviously, you can't do this without it, but we're talking about 25 trucks a day at peak.

'That's for a maximum of six weeks spread out over a two-year period.'

Q&A - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SHALE FRACKING

Protestors scale a shale gas rig at Banks, near Southport, England, in 2011

What is fracking?

 Fracking – shorthand for hydraulic fracturing – is a way of mining vast reserves of shale gas and oil. It involves drilling into the earth and injecting shale rock with a high-pressure mix of water, sand and chemicals to release the gas or oil. The UK is believed to be sitting on enough gas to provide energy for up to 500 years.

What are the benefits?

It could give us power security and is cheaper than other forms of energy. It is estimated there are only another 30 to 40 years of North Sea oil production left and there are concerns with EDF’s plan to build a nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point.

In order to keep the lights on, the UK will have to look at ways of expanding where it gets energy. Huge gas reserves have been identified in the UK, particularly in central and northern England. Estimates suggest there could be as much as 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas under 11 counties. The industry says it could create 74,000 jobs.

What are the concerns?

The way in which the gas is mined has been blamed for causing earthquakes. In countries where fracking is widespread there have been several non-natural quakes and there were two small tremors near Blackpool when fracking began there in 2011.

There are also concerns that living near a fracking site could affect house prices. Last year an internal government report revealed fracking was likely to wipe up to seven per cent off the price of homes in a one mile radius of a fracking site. Some are also worried about site traffic and health conditions caused by machinery noise, as well as the potential for contamination of the water table.

Will National Parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty be protected?

In total, the Government has granted licences to companies covering around 12,000 square miles across the UK, including around such protected areas as the Peak District, Exmoor, the South Downs and the Lake District. MPs last year gave approval for fracking under National Parks but the wells themselves must be outside – so the companies must drill sideways to get to the shale reserves. In the latest round, licences were granted for exploratory drilling at 53 sites of special scientific interest and three RSPB nature reserves.

What will happen next? Britain has changed its planning rules to allow government intervention to approve or reject shale gas drilling permits and it is thought this could lead to a boom in fracking operations, with the first gas expected to come on to the market next year. Many applications have already led to protests. 

Little Plumpton resident Dianne Westgarth, 55, has said the price of her five-bedroom house could plummet by more than 70%

House prices sink as fast as the drills 

By JAMES TOZER

In the bright autumn sunshine, the countryside around Little Plumpton is an unspoilt scene of undulating fields grazed by sheep and cattle.

But yesterday the fears of residents that it will soon be transformed into a test-bed for a controversial form of energy production were realised, and they branded Theresa May’s claim to stand up for ordinary people ‘hollow’.

Residents in and around the tiny Lancashire village fear their quality of life will be wrecked and the value of their homes will plummet now the fracking well is set to go ahead.

In addition, many are far from convinced by claims that the health risks alleged by anti-fracking campaigners are vastly exaggerated.

Businessman Peter Watson, 66, lives just 450 yards from the proposed drilling site. He suffered £1,000 of damage to tiles during earth tremors blamed on fracking tests carried out a few miles away in 2011.

The father-of-three has been told his £2million seven-bedroom home has lost a quarter of its value as a result of the fears surrounding shale gas exploration.

‘This is devastating news for the whole community,’ he said yesterday.

‘Theresa May says she wants to stand up for ordinary people and let local democracy prevail, but this decision flies in the face of everything she’s been saying. I’m quite sure neither she nor [Communities Secretary] Sajid Javid would want fracking on their doorsteps. I’m afraid her words are just hollow. We could end up with 100 drilling wells all over Lancashire now.’

Mr Watson said he was worried about the impact on the health of his three school-age children from the chemicals associated with fracking. 

‘Like many people, we moved to the Fylde area for its beautiful scenery and to enjoy a quiet retirement, so the prospect of what’s going to happen is horrifying.

‘People all over the country should be worried about this. Even if you’re not an environmentalist, imagine what it would be like if fracking meant you couldn’t sell your home?’

Little Plumpton resident Dianne Westgarth, 55, has said the price of her five-bedroom house could plummet by more than 70 per cent. In 2012, the property was valued at £725,000. Two years later she said it was valued at £190,000.

‘Two other estate agents said they would rather not even comment, because the possibility of fracking meant they couldn’t actually say if it was worth anything at all,’ she said.

A report by Bristol University in August suggested house prices could fall by 4 per cent in areas affected by fracking, and locals in Little Plumpton claim properties have struggled to sell.

But there is little hard evidence of a link to the fracking plans for the area, and official records show that of the small number of recent sales near the planned drilling site, a bungalow sold for £282,000 in July, a modest increase on the £275,000 it fetched in 2011.

Also potentially affected are local businesses such as John Tootill’s plant nursery in Westby.

‘At the moment we get plenty of families coming here for a day out, but who will want to bring children if there’s fracking going on nearby?’ Mr Tootill, 62, said yesterday. ‘I’m also very worried about the effect of pollution getting into groundwater.

He added: ‘It’s disgusting that an industry can dictate to a Government which is supposed to be there for the people. It’s very shabby.’