Fylde MP Mark Menzies has called on fracking firm Cuadrilla to pack up and leave following a bid by the firm to extend it’s planning permission for wells at Preston New Road.
Cuadrilla’s planning permission was due to expire in April 2023. The company is set to ask Lancashire County Council for an extra two years to complete its work. The company is not asking to carry out any more drilling, currently suspended under a national moratorium, but will take longer to vacate the well site.
Mr Menzies said: “Enough is enough, it is time for Cuadrilla to pack up and go.
“It is complete nonsense for this pretence to continue any longer.
“It is abundantly clear that fracking in Fylde is never going to happen.
“What I want now is for that site to be cleared, for the wells to be capped and for it to be returned to countryside.
“That needs to happen as soon as possible.
“Cuadrilla’s time is up, that is the message I am sending and one which Lancashire County Council needs to send too.”
Mr Menzies has already written to Ministers asking that an order be given to permanently cap and seal the wells at Preston New Road. He has also asked that protections be put in place to ensure the current national moratorium cannot be lifted without a vote in Parliament.
He said: “I have always taken an evidence-based approach on fracking. The industry has had 10 years to prove it can be done safely here in Fylde, time and again events have proven it cannot.
“One of the Prime Minister’s first acts on taking office was to re-instate the moratorium. It was the right decision for Fylde.
“It is now vital to ensure protections are in place, that local communities and Parliament have a say and that is what I have asked Ministers to deliver.
“It is time to shift our focus from fracking and fossil fuels to renewables and nuclear, providing clean energy and supporting jobs and skills here in Fylde.”