Ahead of Tuesday’s Planning Committee meeting, where UKOG’s application for oil well exploration in Arreton is heard, the Isle of Wight council cabinet member for Environment and Heritage has spoken out.
Cllr Jonathan Bacon said,
“The strength of public feeling against the proposal before the Planning Committee on Tuesday is clear, both in the number of objections received and the recently delivered petition signed by 4,410 residents.
“It is plain to anyone who recognises what is most important about our Island and who appreciates its natural beauty and fragile geology, that drilling for outdated fossil fuel sources is wrong. However, as with all planning applications, the decision needs to be based on Policy.
“As such, the application exposes once again the the fact that we currently have an inadequate local policy base. The new Island Plan will eventually plug the gaps but in the meantime we are thrown back to relying on the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework.”
Bacon: Biosphere and Climate Change policy in place
He went on to say,
“Despite this situation, things may not be so bleak here if one looks at the overall policy base. Government Policy has moved on since the NPPF was written and there is a clear direction of travel in respect of supporting green energy and climate change.
“In addition, while we still do not have a local Island Plan, we have a clear Climate Change Policy and we are now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
“These are things that will obviously be reflected in the new Island Plan so it is inappropriate to rely on the fact that the new Plan itself is not in being yet, when constituent parts of it clearly are.”
Bacon: Fossil fuels are not sustainable
Cllr Bacon added,
“The fact that planning staff have in the Committee Report referred to Government statements that assert that fossil fuels will remain important as we transition to greener energy cannot be criticised.
“However I strongly feel they have not interpreted the Government’s stance correctly. While it may be obvious that such fuel sources will be relevant and important for some years to come, this is in no way a justification for new drilling operations.
“This is particularly so if one further has regard to the overarching requirement that development should be sustainable. Fossil fuels simply do not satisfy this test.”
Bacon: Just 12 days of oil in ground
The Cabinet member who has previously been chairman of the Isle of Wight AONB, finished by saying,
“Further, the assertions in the Planning Report that there are economic benefits to be realised from the proposed drilling must be queried.
“The report makes it clear that the local benefits are minimal and gives no detail or justification about the alleged wider benefits. When one combines this with the knowledge that the proposal would at most produce a supply of oil lasting for just 12 days the economic benefit argument falls flat.”
“Overall therefore, in addition to be able to state that the proposal is plainly inappropriate for the Island, the Planning Committee can refer to a clear policy base upon which it can support and justify a decision to refuse the application on Tuesday”.
