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| Fracking bid should be approved, Lancashire council officers say | Fracking bid should be approved, Lancashire council officers say |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Fracking should be allowed at one of two sites on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, a report has recommended. | Fracking should be allowed at one of two sites on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, a report has recommended. |
| Lancashire County Council's most senior planning officer was responding to an application by energy firm Cuadrilla to extract shale gas at Little Plumpton and Roseacre Wood. | Lancashire County Council's most senior planning officer was responding to an application by energy firm Cuadrilla to extract shale gas at Little Plumpton and Roseacre Wood. |
| The application for Little Plumpton has been recommended for approval. Roseacre Wood has been recommended for refusal. | The application for Little Plumpton has been recommended for approval. Roseacre Wood has been recommended for refusal. |
| The final decisions will be taken by councillors next week. | The final decisions will be taken by councillors next week. |
| If approved, it will be the first time a council has backed an application to frack, drill and test flow the gas. | If approved, it will be the first time a council has backed an application to frack, drill and test flow the gas. |
| Cuadrilla submitted revised plans after planning officers recommended refusal for both sites in January for different reasons. | Cuadrilla submitted revised plans after planning officers recommended refusal for both sites in January for different reasons. |
| 'Listen to people' | 'Listen to people' |
| Planning officers had previously said the site at Preston New Road should be turned down because of concerns over the impact of noise. | Planning officers had previously said the site at Preston New Road should be turned down because of concerns over the impact of noise. |
| But now they have recommended its approval if a number of conditions are met, including controlling time limits, hours of working and highway matters. | But now they have recommended its approval if a number of conditions are met, including controlling time limits, hours of working and highway matters. |
| At the Roseacre Wood site, planning officers maintained there would be an increase in traffic, particularly heavy goods vehicles, which would result in "an unacceptable impact" on rural roads. | At the Roseacre Wood site, planning officers maintained there would be an increase in traffic, particularly heavy goods vehicles, which would result in "an unacceptable impact" on rural roads. |
| Furqan Naeem, from Friends of the Earth, said preventing fracking was one of the organisation's "priority campaigns" as "people generally don't want it". | |
| He said if Cuadrilla was given permission to frack, it would "set a precedent". | |
| "They will not only drill holes in Lancashire, they will do it all over the UK. | |
| "The council must now listen to the tens of thousands of people who have objected to fracking at both sites, and the strong evidence put before them, and reject both of Cuadrilla's proposals to frack," he said. | "The council must now listen to the tens of thousands of people who have objected to fracking at both sites, and the strong evidence put before them, and reject both of Cuadrilla's proposals to frack," he said. |
| Pat Davies, from the Preston New Road Action Group, said she was "dismayed" by the decision. | Pat Davies, from the Preston New Road Action Group, said she was "dismayed" by the decision. |
| Fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - is a technique in which water and chemicals are pumped into shale rock at high pressure to extract gas. | Fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - is a technique in which water and chemicals are pumped into shale rock at high pressure to extract gas. |
| A government report published in June 2012 concluded fracking was safe if adequately monitored. | A government report published in June 2012 concluded fracking was safe if adequately monitored. |
| However, anti-fracking campaigners claim the process is harmful to the environment. | However, anti-fracking campaigners claim the process is harmful to the environment. |
| In a statement, Cuadrilla said it was "pleased" at the Preston New Road decision but expressed disappointment at the Roseacre Wood recommendation, saying it had addressed traffic concerns raised in the original officer's report. |