Welsh Councillors Reject Application for Shale Gas Drilling

Councillors from the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales have rejected a bid to test drill for shale gas in the county of Glamorgan. 

South Wales firm Coastal Oil and Gas together with Australian Eden Energy, had applied for planning permission to conduct exploratory drilling in a search for conventional and shale gas in the Llandow Industrial Estate in the Welsh vale.

The committee of councillors heard from both the director of Coastal Oil and Gas, Gerwyn Williams, and from the head of the protest group "Vale Says No" to help them make their decision.

Protesters said that the decision to allow to drill for gas, or to allow the use of hydraulic fracturing, could be "potentially catastrophic." Though hydraulic fracturing would not be involved in the initial exploration by Coastal, it remains a big concern for the protesters and formed a large part of their objections to the application.

"Fracking could have implications that could affect us for years to come," Ms. Lousie Evans, leader of the Vale Says No campaign said. "This is a seriously under regulated industry. It could hit tourism and property values. Nobody wants to live in a gas drilling area."

Mr. Williams said that he understood the concerns of the protesters, but said that there was potential for gas in South Wales, which could help the country to become a profitable exporter of gas.

"If all went well we could become a gas exporter," he said.

"I understand people’s concerns. But fracking involves 99.96% water and sand. There have been problems in America in the past, but that is in the past."

However, Coastal’s assurances did not win the day, with 17 members of the Vale of Glamorgan's planning committee voting unanimously to reject the application over concerns about groundwater pollution.

Following the decision, Coastal confirmed it would submit an appeal on Friday morning.