It is something that our readers often ask…..Where do you find national planning guidance on fracking?

The quickest answer to this question is this part of the government’s website, so this will help when considering: ‘Where do you find national planning guidance on fracking?‘. However, in broad terms this guidance covers a number of factors regarding fracking. As the site makes clear this is not intended to replace legal advice or planning permission. However it is designed to clarify what people should aware of when planning to apply for fracking.

The guidance makes one thing clear­ while it is important to get the fuel from the extraction process it is also vital that anyone making these applications is aware of the potential impact on the environment and that any potential damage is minimised as much as reasonably possible. It also defines the three stages of the process­ exploration, testing and production, each of these phases requiring planning permission.

The initial exploration phase will involve some exploratory drilling and is mainly about seeing what (if any) resources can be extracted. Secondly during the testing (aka appraisal) stage there are more flow tests and further research and exploration to see how the resources can be extracted. Finally during the production process wells, pipelines and more equipment will need to be installed and established, possibly at the initial testing site although more locations may potentially be required.

Ok, but Where do you find national planning guidance on fracking?

Other factors that need to be considered included potential disruption, risk of contamination, flood risk and land stability, all things that are likely to be factors involved when applying for a license.

It also outlines key regulators involved including (but not limited to) the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Environment Agency, the Mineral Planning Authorities and the Health and Safety Executive. Other regulars involved may also include the Coal Authority, Natural England and Hazardous Substance Authorities.

In short this particular part of the government website offers details on what to expect when making an application, the regulatory bodies that will be involved and what you will need to be aware of when presenting your proposals when seeking permission for a fracking license.