Prior to the 2015 General Election, the then-Coalition Government announced that Areas of Outstanding Beauty (AONB) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the Isle of Wight would be safe from Fracking.
Just three months since the election, the Conservative Government have now announced plans to reverse that pledge.
DECC: “Impractical to introduce a complete ban”
The Telegraph have reported, “Fracking to be allowed in protected wildlife areas after Government u-turn” and say “Ministers say it would be ‘impractical’ to introduce a complete ban on fracking in Sites of Special Scientific Interest.”
A spokesperson from the DECC told the Telegraph,
“SSSI already have strong protection under the existing planning and regulatory regime. As they are numerous and extremely widespread it would be impractical to completely rule out drilling in SSSI.
“However, the National Planning Policy Framework already makes clear that development should not normally be permitted if it is likely to have an adverse effect on a Site of Special Scientific Interest.”
Impact on the Island
The Areas of Outstanding Beauty (AONB) on the Isle of Wight can be seen on the map above and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the map below.
Matt Williams, RSPB policy officer, said the Government had “reneged on its commitment to rule out fracking in some of our most important wildlife sites”, leaving “some the UK’s most valuable wildlife sites exposed to risk from future fracking”.
