500 signatures reached
To: City of York Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the North Yorkshire Moors National Park Authority
Buffer Zones for gas drilling sites in York and North Yorkshire
Include in the Joint Waste and Mineral Plan for North Yorkshire:
- Buffer zones of one mile between residential development, schools and hospitals and natural gas extraction infrastructure (e.g. well pads, compressor stations, pipelines etc);
- Buffer zones of three miles between national parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Sites of Importance to Nature Conservation, World Heritage Sites, groundwater source protection zones and natural gas extraction infrastructure;
- A minimum distance of six miles between drilling sites, as asked for by Kevin Hollinrake MP for Thirsk and Maltonin a Westminster Hall debate in 2015, to prevent the industrialisation of the North Yorkshire countryside.
Why is this important?
Gas extraction firms plan to drill several shale gas wells in North Yorkshire in the next five years, after being handed the rights to explore using the controversial hydraulic fracturing process across the county by the national government.
The Joint Waste and Mineral Plan for North Yorkshire is currently being negotiated by City of York Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the North Yorkshire Moors National Park authority.
This plan, when enacted, will outline how each of these areas deal with a host of topics including recycling provision, waste management, as well as gas and mineral extraction.
Due to national laws and regulation City of York Council, North Yorkshire County Council and North Yorkshire Moors National Park are not allowed to exclude gas drilling completely within their territories, but the the local authorities have influence to set conditions to protect residents and the outstanding countryside of North Yorkshire from the impact of the gas industry.
