Egdon Resources: Oil drill government appeal refused

A study found the village of Wressle was above reserves of about two million barrels of recoverable oil

An application to drill for oil at a North Lincolnshire village has been rejected by the government.

The decision follows a public inquiry held before Christmas into plans by Egdon Resources to develop an existing well at Wressle, near Scunthorpe.

A government planning inspector raised concerns about potential impacts on local water and nearby residents.

Egdon Resources, an oil and gas production business, called the decision "highly disappointing".

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A study commissioned by Egdon Resources in 2016 found Wressle was sitting on reserves of about two million barrels of recoverable oil.

North Lincolnshire Council's planning committee have since turned down two planning applications to turn it into a commercial oil production site, with the government now dismissing an appeal.

Mark Abbott, managing director of Egdon Resources, said: "The decision of the Planning Inspectorate is clearly highly disappointing given the strong case presented at the inquiry.

"We will now take the opportunity to consider in detail the reasons for the refusals as contained in the decision notice and review the options available to us."

The appeal did grant a short extension of the original exploration consent, granted in 2013, until 28 April.

Geraldine Clayton, a local parish councillor who opposed the application, said: "Where we live there's an awful lot of jobs and opportunities now in renewable energy, so it's not much of a loss."