Vale Council will have to pay thousands in costs after fracking inquiry

Vale Council will have to pay thousands in costs after fracking inquiry by Sharon Harris, July 14, 2012, NewsBy Sharon Harris
Bridgend firm Coastal Oil and Gas successfully appealed against the Vale Council planning committee’s 2011 decision to stop exploratory drilling for Shale gas on the industrial estate. The Wales Planning Inspectorate (WPI) said the authority should pay the appellant’s full costs incurred from the time the appeal was made to the close of the public inquiry (last week). … Vale MP Alun Cairns said he was “dismayed” at the decision to allow test drilling. “I and many local residents and businesses are very concerned about the effects of the exploration process for shale gas, and the potential fracking procedure for its extraction if the gas is indeed found below ground,” he said. “The Vale is a great place to live and work and I want it to remain that way. Any future gas exploration could put this at risk.” Vale-based AM, Andrew RT Davies, also expressed his disappointment. “I have gone on record on many occasions in my opposition to fracking in the Vale,” he said. “We depend on green tourism here and it could destroy the local economy which would be disastrous.”