The Isle of Wight council planning committee will determine the UK Oil and Gas planning application for exploratory oil wells in Arreton on Tuesday 19th October.
Campaigners, Don’t Drill The Wight, are calling on Islanders to email their Ward councillor expressing concerns and support for planning committee members to refuse the application (more info).
A spokesperson from Don’t Drill the Wight told News OnTheWight,
“The newly appointed Isle of Wight Council has recently produced two important Island Strategy documents – an updated Draft Island Plan Strategy (IPS) and a Mission Zero Climate and Environment Strategy 2021 – 2040 (MZCES).
“The IPS states the importance of its environmental role as: ” – contributing to protecting and enhancing our natural, built and historic environment (the Island is designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve); and, as part of this, helping to improve biodiversity, use natural resources prudently, minimise waste and pollution, and mitigate and adapt to climate change including moving to a low carbon economy”.
“The MZCES states in its introduction: “This document and the Action Plan attached to it will form a key part of creating a sustainable future for our Island and, together with other strategies and plans in existence and coming forward in the next few years, in particular the Island Plan Core Strategy, it will support our valuable yet fragile environment and our status as a UNESCO Biosphere reserve“.
“We trust that our planning committee will be inspired by these aspirations of the IW council and support our local communities by rejecting UKOG’s application for Arreton.”
The spokesperson when on to add,
“We also hope that they will also be encouraged by the double forthright rejection by Surrey CC of the Dunsfold/Loxley Site and the decision of Yorkshire Councillors to reject 20 years of oil production and an additional six wells at Rathlin Energy’s West Newton.
“In our view, at a time when our Government is touting its need to be at the forefront of action to reduce global emissions, it is imperative that local councils should have the right stand and reject all unproven, uneconomical, unsustainable and unproductive developments when they threaten their local environments, but ultimately, the health of the planet.”
