MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Lancashire County Council’s Development Control Committee released application documents that show it is willing to let Cuadrilla use fracking practices to explore for shale gas at the Preston New Road site.
The company’s second bid to drill exploratory wells at Roseacre Wood was not recommended for approval due to concerns that gas exploration there could impact road safety.
Fracking, a method to extract shale gas by pumping water and chemicals underground, has proven contentious after the drilling of just one – and Britain’s only – well near Blackpool caused two tremors in 2011, leading to a temporary fracking ban that was lifted the following year.
The Lancashire council is due to debate and make a final decision on Cuadrilla’s drilling bids next week, potentially opening way for fracking in the country.
