Egdon withdraws North Kelsey oil drilling planning appeal

Campaigners have opposed the proposals for almost a decade

A company has withdrawn its appeal over plans to begin exploratory drilling for oil in Lincolnshire.

Egdon Resources had been challenging Lincolnshire County Council's decision to refuse consent for drilling at its site at North Kelsey.

Egdon said the decision followed correspondence with the planning inspector ahead of a hearing which was due to begin on 14 June.

It said it would submit a new planning application to the county council.

According to the company, the inspector had considered the lateral borehole in the application to be a new development as it fell outside the boundary of the firm's original 2014 planning consent for the site.

Mark Abbott, Managing Director of Egdon, said it was disappointing to withdraw the appeal.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We and our advisers unfortunately saw little option given that a lateral borehole is key to the exploratory drilling, and to ensure clarity and robustness in any decision made."

Egdon said its new application would reflect any changes since the 2014 consent and include updates to the ecology of the site, traffic issues and flood risk.

The company also said it would hold a new consultation with the local community prior to submitting the application.

The SOS North Kelsey campaign group, which has opposed the drilling site for almost a decade, said Egdon had wasted time and resources.

Campaigner Amanda Suddaby said a fresh application would mean "delay and uncertainty" for the community

Amanda Suddaby, a member of the group, said: "Their statement clearly acknowledges that their reports were out of date and therefore inadequate - an issue we have raised on numerous occasions, particularly relating to ecology.

"With the deteriorating state of nature in the UK, we need to pay more attention to the damage being inflicted upon our environment by unsustainable developments such as this."

She said it was concerning Egdon intended to put the community through another application process "prolonging the delay and uncertainty".