Planning officers have recommended that an application to drill for oil in Arreton is approved when the matter goes before the Isle of Wight Council Planning Committee later this month.
Councillors will thrash it out next Tuesday (19th October) to decide whether or not to approve planning permission for the site off Blackwater Road, between Arreton and Blackwater.
Ahead of that crunch meeting officers have recommended that the applicant, UK Oil and Gas, is given permission to drill for just 3 years.
During the first 3 years, 2 boreholes would be drilled with associated infrastructure in place to allow for exploration works. It’s hoped that UK Oil and Gas (UKOG) will find significant quantities of of oil on the Island with a view to then establishing if it is commercially viable to create a long-term operation here on the Isle of Wight.
The plans have been met with objection by many individuals and groups, including the Island’s MP Bob Seely. However, the council’s environmental health team, ecology officer and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership have not raised any objections to the development. The same can be said for the Environment Agency, the Health and Safety Executive and Natural England.
“However, the council’s environmental health team, ecology officer and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership have not raised any objections to the development. The same can be said for the Environment Agency, the Health and Safety Executive and Natural England.” So all these worthy bodies are perfectly happy to see drilling in the middle of the Island countryside for a material that is supposed to be phased out as soon as possible. “Only” 3 years? All the damage is done on day 1.
Yeah but if UKOG erect a large luminous sign when setting up their plant, the AONB lot will be on their back big time.
What a joke.
Money talks as always.
“Councillors will thrash it out next Tuesday”
More like counting their cut.
The company UKOG has had little sucessess so far as can be seen by its share price, one hopes that should any ‘accident’ happen say if water sources are contaminated with oil, that their insurance can fully pay to fund any remidial measures, as BP they are NOT.
One second oil is the devil, yet a whiff of ‘easy’ cash and suddenly the ‘green’ side of our council, happy to ruin the roundabout with bus lanes, is ignored.
Money don’t talk, it swears with such cretins running this Isle
IW Council Planning will of course have set as a condition that suitable insurance and preferably a bond is in place to fund a clear-up.
They haven’t? Well, well.
Hopefully the councillors will have more sense than the officers.
and yet again they do as they like
Looks like the council have obtained a steady supply of brown envelopes. Scandalous.
Don’t invest in oil – invest in brown envelope manufacturers. Shares will be rocketing with all the demand for them today!
It”S a tough call do we really mean it when we say we want to save the planet time will tell but don’t forget that time is running out
Time is already out. Has been for some time. It’s now about sod all the other countries, can we save enough of ours so the ruling classes can continue their life style. 20 years time Scotland will be like the Bahamas and the island will be a desert wasteland.
Really! Someones making a nice little earner. So much for the council looking after our beautiful islands interests.
Well, here’s a suggestion to those who are objecting to this exploitation of ‘old’ and ‘environmentally “unfriendly” technology’…
How about reminding the objectors that proposed alternatives such as on and offshore wind farms have meet with objections due to a totally NIMBY attitude.
If you don’t want fossil fuels used, then don’t object to greener alternative because it ‘spoils my view’…
Can’t have you cake and eat it folks…
I agree Nick. I want more renewable’s and yes the NIMBY lot say no to everything. Then drive to the garden centre in their 4×4’s to buy more Chinese crap they don’t need.
perhaps bob could read the news….the country needs more energy supplies……
No shortage of hot air in the Seedy press office!
New council same old crap
worse, the last lot didn’t pretend to be something different
Time to google “best glue for sticking myself to the road”. I think I’ll be taking direct action to stop this. Last thing we need is more oil.
make sure you bring something to unglue yourself, as you will be taking the risk that you will be left there until you starve to death.
Wonderful! Marvellous credentials as part of the host nation for COP26 this is an own goal of staggering proportions. Wind,tide,solar we have it all. Our “investment” in renewables an AD plant that has turned large swathes of agricultural land into a monocrop of Zea mays that is then transported by diesel guzzling tractors to Arreton.
Think again IWC. So many missed opportunities to being an outstanding exemplar of sustainability.
Still we should all feel proud that the Planners were at the cutting edge of environmental protection when they told Tesco’s their proposed monolith would block out the sun in Freshwater. They literally saved us all from mass extinction.
It will be interesting to see what out elected councillors do now and I hope that they don’t just agree to it under the ‘guise’ of ‘avoiding costly legal action’. If this goes through I have just one question “how can so many councils/councillors reject the planning application in other drillings areas and ours just say yes”.
short sighted – the standards of drilling and HSE are far higher in this country – but we are willing to say no, yet happy to import from countries that barely even care about their environment.
On a more salient point, how is everyone keeping warm this winter? Gas? Oil? Open Fire? Wood Burner? Electricity? Not keeping warm? The true arbiter of man made warming is father time and mother nature. Apparently, according to wise ones, it’s too late anyway. So just dont drill and see what happens over the next 50 years. Who knows, i’ll be long gone by then. Age, Cold, Flu, or Covid, one or the other.
Sadly many don’t understand the NATIONAL planning framework. This sets out to local authorities such as IOW council what they can & can’t allow & the terms by which they must make those decisions. The reality is that if certain conditions prevail the council must grant approval, hence officer recommendation to approve this application. The recommendation will be based on the national planning law. Local people have very little say. Aside from their choice of MP and national government of course who make the law.. Put the following into google and click the first search return “uk oil and gas exploration national planning framework”