Despite over 1,700 public comments, UK Oil and Gas could well be feeling buoyant about their planning application to explore for oil just outside Arreton.
The Environment Agency and the AONB Partnership have both in their submissions to the Isle of Wight council planning portal said that they have no objection to the application.
The Environment Agency say they have:
“No objections to the proposed development, subject to the submission of a Construction Environment Management Plan (CEMP) secured by condition.”
AONB: “No direct impacts upon the AONB”
Meanwhile, the Isle of Wight council’s AONB Partnership officer concludes in their submission:
“Overall, therefore, there are considered to be no direct impacts upon the AONB from the proposal.
“However, the issue of fossil fuel development is very pertinent and a controversial subject. The application has drawn much attention locally. The site falls outside the designation of the AONB where policies would be stricter in relation to minerals development.
“The LPA [Local Planning Authority] will have to look very carefully at how an exploratory Oil development sits within their Climate Change policies and what safeguards are in place with regards to any potential ground contamination, ecological impacts and noise pollution before determining the application.”
The day before the AONB planning officer submitted their comments, the Chair of the Isle of Wight AONB, former Isle of Wight council leader Jonathan Bacon, said the oil drilling application runs counter to the aims of the Isle of Wight Biosphere.
MP: Entirely inappropriate for the Isle of Wight
Earlier this month the Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, submitted his objection to the application, declaring it ‘entirely inappropriate for the Isle of Wight’.
UKOG hit back claiming the MP said he wouldn’t object if they met certain conditions, a claim the MP then denied.
Have your say
Comments can still be added to the application via the Isle of Wight council’s planning portal (20/00513/FUL).
The system is currently reporting 2,015 documents on the application, which includes 907 comments.
Article update:
12.15pm 29th Jul 2020 – Number of comments updated from nearly 1,000 to over 1,700
