Upton Parish Council Meeting, Monday 28th July 2014

Hi everyone,

Many thanks to all those who came to protest peacefully outside and attend the Upton Parish Council meeting earlier this week.

Just in case you haven't seen the local press yet, attached is a photo of the protest and below are more details of the discussion at the meeting:

 
The National Association of Local Council policy document that the Upton Parish Council were examining contains the following -

The Department of Energy & Climate Change is proposing an amended process for granting access rights, with three steps:

•   Step One: To grant underground access rights to companies extracting petroleum (as defined under the Petroleum Act, 1998 – including gas or oil) or geothermal energy in land at least 300 metres below the surface;

•   Step Two: For people living above underground drilling to continue to receive some kind of payment from the operator in return for the right of access. This view is in line with other schemes that grant access rights such as underground cables and tunnels. However, DECC believes that the land at depths below 300 metres is of little to no use to a landowner. The shale and geothermal industries have put forward a voluntary offer for a payment system. This will involve a £20,000 one-off payment for each unique lateral (horizontal) well that extends by more than 200 metres laterally. Where lateral drilling vertically coincides - payment will be made only once. DECC’s preference is for this payment to be made to a relevant community body (as agreed between the operator and the community itself), and not split between individual landowners.

  It is NALC view parish councils would be the most appropriate relevant community body.
Question 1 - Do you agree?

•   Step Three: For a public notification system, under which the company would outline matters such as the relevant area of underground land, coupled with details on the payment that will be made in return for the access.

  It is NALC view that all local councils should be consulted (notified) where underground drilling applications are / have been submitted for land within their boundaries – as they can best represent their residents’ views and provide real democratic representation in such cases.
Question 2 - Do you agree?

As spokesperson for FFU, Phil Coombe stated in his address to the Parish Council that -

The National Association of Local Council policy document that the Upton Parish Council had to discuss was no more than bribery – it involves dirty money in order to relinquish access rights and speed up the planning process in order to accelerate the Department of Energy & Climate Change "dash for gas".

In relation to the policy document -

STEP 1

The 300m below surface rule shows woeful ignorance of UK geology.

STEP 2

The one off payment of £20k shows pitiful ignorance of the cost to the community in health, environment, amenity, economic and climate change terms.

STEP 3

The notification proposal is an insult to the residents where the laws of trespass exist and should be retained to require landowner’s permission to any access beneath their property. This may apply to adopted highways where ownership may remain with the frontagers or the original developer.

Therefore the proposal for this disgraceful grant offer – described by NALC as BOLES BUNG – should be rejected and all future applications for drilling in this area should be resisted at all levels in the community, Parliament, CW&C, Parish Council and on the street.

The Upton Parish Council then proceeded to discuss the policy document.

Six councillors were in attendance -

Question 1 - "is the parish council the most appropriate relevant community body". Do you agree?  - 

Five councillors called it "bribery" but had to agree that the parish council would be the relevant community body to control any grants if issued.

Councillor Houlbrook stated "it's not fracking anyway" but failed to call it bribery as she considers there should be compensation paid.

Question 2 - that all local councils should be consulted (notified) where underground drilling applications are / have been submitted for land within their boundaries – as they can best represent their residents’ views and provide real democratic representation in such cases.

Do you agree?

All six councillors agreed that they would represent their residents views. They also agreed that they should include a statement in their response to the NALC that would raise their concerns that any form of payment would be seen by the residents as bribery.

Full details of the meeting and the minutes will be published in due course on the Upton Parish Council website - http://www.uptonbychester.org.uk/

Frack Free Upton

1st August 2014