North Kelsey oil drilling refused after firm's inaction

Council planners confirmed a decision to reject a request by Egdon Resource to extend drilling near North Kelsey

An oil company accused of "seizing" on the Ukrainian war to push forward exploratory drilling plans has had its application formally refused.

Egdon Resource said extending permissions near North Kelsey could provide valuable UK-based oil reserves.

On Monday, Lincolnshire County Council confirmed its decision to reject the appeal.

Planners said Egdon had already had eight years to start work but had so far not begun.

Councillor Paul Skinner said: "They had the opportunity since 2014 and really I see they've done nothing."

Egdon was seeking the right to continue exploration for another 12 months, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Unacceptable levels of anxiety'

In March, Egdon managing director Mark Abbot blamed Covid for delaying work and told council planners Russia's invasion of Ukraine meant a sufficient supply of UK produced oil was "essential".

Campaigners said "horrors" in Ukraine had been "seized upon by Egdon to justify this project".

They argued the amount of oil from the land would be "trivial" and said drilling would cause major harm to the area and its wildlife.

Residents had said they had endured years of anxiety over drilling plans

Confirming it had turned down the drilling application, councillors said the worries of local residents had been made worse through the repeated extensions sought by Egdon.

"Representations from the local community made it clear prolonging the uncertainty with each extension has caused unacceptable levels of anxiety to local residents," a report to councillors said.

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