Balcombe oil drilling

CPRE Sussex, the Sussex countryside charity, is shocked by the decision by West Sussex County Council (WSCC) officers to recommend approval for Angus Energy to have yet more time to explore the commercial viability of their oil well at Balcombe.  CPRE has long campaigned against this environmentally mad-cap proposal.[i]

WSCC claims to acknowledge that we face a climate emergency.  As the Climate Change Commission has recently pointed out[ii], local authorities potentially influence around a third of UK greenhouse gas emissions, and their role is crucial in delivering the nation’s commitment to net zero carbon emissions through the use of their planning powers.  Yet, when the chips are down, WSCC bottles out of the tough decisions required to turn their fine words into necessary action.

This is another example of a council over-valuing illusionary economic benefits of onshore fossil fuel exploitation at the expense of our climate and of the precious, supposedly protected High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty countryside around Balcombe.  The poor residents of Balcombe, who have already faced a decade of disruption are exposed to the potential of at least another four years of uncertainty

Read more in the press release.