Fears fracking could be “fast tracked” in the UK, Peers and charities fear a change in the law will allow the Government to “fast track” fracking against the will of local communities

Fears fracking could be “fast tracked”, Peers and charities fear a change in the law will allow the Government to “fast track” fracking against the will of local communities by Louise Gray, February 23, 2013, The Telegraph
The Growth and Infrastructure Bill, currently going through the House of Lords, could allow exploration for shale gas to be considered as of “national significance”, meaning the Government can override local authorities to grant planning permission. The National Trust, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Friends of the Earth, the Town & Country Planning Association, Wildlife Trusts and Greenpeace have joined up to fight the change in the law. Baroness Young of Old Scone, an independent peer, said a number of members of the House of Lords are also concerned. She pointed out that the Government would not be changing the law unless they expected a lot of cases to use the new provision to get through controversial projects. She said the clause will mean communities have far less opportunity to try and stop an unpopular development. … The UK has a huge reserve of shale gas but much of it is below highly populated areas such as the home counties. Energy companies are currently fighting to get planning permission to start drilling at the most easily accessible wells in Lancashire. The so-called Clause 24 would bring commercial and business developments, which could potentially include fracking, into the “fast track planning process”. This would mean that planning applications go straight to the Secretary of State and local communities have less say. Baroness Hanham, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities, admitted that fracking may be fast tracked – although she insisted that the local community will still be consulted. … Lawrence Carter, Greenpeace climate campaigner, said almost two-thirds of England is “earmarked for possible fracking”. “A growing number of local communities are already fighting to stop their countryside being fracked, with concerns raised over environmental damage, under-house fracking and the erosion of property prices, but rather than listen to them, the Government is trying to remove their right to have a say,” he said. [Emphasis added]