IN the February issue of the West Lavington parish mag (News and Views) the parish council report bore the news that fracking licences had been issued in the local area, affecting people living in Littleton Panell, the Cheverells and Erlestoke. This came as something of a surprise, as there had been nothing in the local press about such licences being granted in Wiltshire. It is only recently that some coverage on fracking has appeared in the Gazette, with little detail.

As I live in Littleton Panell, this was of some interest to me, and I decided to do some research to find out what was going on. I thought the facts I have discovered so far might also be of interest to others, especially those living in the affected areas. It may be that no other licences are due to be granted in Wiltshire, or that these are just the first.

On December 17, 2015, two fracking licences were granted for four block areas in Wiltshire: ST84 – Warminster/Longleat; ST85 – Trowbridge/Westbury; ST94 – Chitterne/Imber Range; and ST95 – Erlestoke. These four 10km x 10km areas are adjacent to each other, and form a 20km x 20km area (ie 400 sq km) which runs roughly from Bradford-on-Avon to Devizes to Codford to Maiden Bradley. Part of the West Lavington Parish Council area is included in ST95, which covers Littleton Panell, Great and Little Cheverell, Erlestoke and Poulshot. ST94 contains a significant area of Salisbury Plain.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change recommends contacting the licensees with regard to their future policies. The Wiltshire licences have been granted to South Western Energy Limited, a company whose offices are in Bridgend, Glamorgan. The company does not appear to have a website and I have been unable to find out anything about its policies or intentions. A very large company also called South Western Energy is based in the US, and is involved in the fracking industry there. I do not know if the two companies are in any way connected.

The licences are for coal bed methane gas, rather than shale gas. The extraction of coal bed methane gas involves pumping out the groundwater in the coal bed to release the gas. Water depletion from coal bed methane production can adversely impact adjacent residents, farmers and businesses that rely on local groundwater and surface waters. The salt quality of coal bed water can inhibit plant growth when discharged into local waterways.

Chemical contamination resulting from hydraulic fracturing may pose a threat to domestic, agricultural, and industrial water supplies. To make the extraction of coal bed methane gas financially viable, it may be necessary to drill several wells in the same area. South Western Energy has currently committed to drilling two wells in the licence covering areas ST85 and ST84.

Although our area of Wiltshire is now exposed to fracking planning applications, it is not yet exposed to fracking. Thus far, no planning permission for any drilling or exploration has been received by Wiltshire Council. The licensee has five years in which to apply for permission to drill. Before the licensee can begin any operations they must apply for and be granted a number of further permissions and consents from Wiltshire Council. These include planning permissions, environmental permits from the Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive scrutiny of well designs, and further consent for drilling operations from the Oil and Gas Authority.

The actual environmental impact of fracking for gas is as yet unknown in this country, and may differ from site to site. The Wiltshire Branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England has many concerns over the possible environmental impact of fracking for coal bed methane, as has the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. There is also the question of the possible increase in traffic, and transporting the gas from the drilling site to consumers. However, the present Government is keen to encourage fracking and has recently ruled that it can be conducted underground in AONBs, national parks and SSSIs. The areas licensed in Wiltshire fall into three parliamentary constituencies, all of which have Conservative MPs, who presumably support their Government’s fracking policy. Wiltshire Council is also a Conservative-led council.

Lessons on how the planning permission process may go can be taken from the current enquiry in Lancashire about fracking in the Fylde area, where local decisions and objections may be overruled by the Government.

For more information, see the following websites may be of interest: www.drillordrop.com – an informative independent website covering the whole topic, including maps showing where the block areas are; www.cprewiltshire.org.uk - you can download their fracking policy statement; www.wiltshirewildlife.org/newswwt-fracking-response - Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s response to the fracking licence consultation; www.keepwiltshirefrackfree.org – part of the Frack Free protest and environmental group and www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk – the Department of Energy and Climate Change information leaflet on fracking.

I would emphasise that the two licences granted in Wiltshire are not for shale gas, but for coal methane gas. For more information on this process, go to www.brianmcmahonlaw.com

SUE BONNEY