Biscathorpe: Decision still awaited on oil drilling appeal

The proposed plan for drilling near the village of Biscathorpe has attracted protests

A decision on whether to allow drilling for oil in the Lincolnshire Wolds is still to be made nine months after a planning hearing.

Egdon Resources appealed against the decision by Lincolnshire County Council to refuse permission for the site near the village of Biscathorpe.

A hearing by the Planning Inspectorate was held back in October 2022.

"The decision is currently being worked on and will be issued as soon as possible," the inspectorate said.

The original plans were turned down in November 2021, with the council citing concerns over the impact on the landscape and the uncertainty over the project's timescales as reasons for refusal.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a petition handed to the council in opposition to the plans carried more than 1,800 signatures.

Plans for the site in the Lincolnshire Wolds were rejected by councillors in November 2021

Local Conservative MP Victoria Atkins, Natural England, Historic England, five nearby parish councils and other organisations have also objected to the plans.

Campaigner Amanda Suddaby said locals were still hoping the appeal would be rejected.

"It's interesting that it's taken this long, I don't know quite what the hold-up is," she said.

Egdon Resources said that the well would help the UK towards energy independence and would have minimal impact on the area.

If approved, there would be eight weeks of drilling and 12 weeks of testing followed by 15 years of extraction.