Hi John,
Welcome to the forum, you'll find them a friendly and entertaining bunch!
As regards drilling planning applications the initial objective is to drill to seek easily extracted oil or the potential for large amounts of gas to be available for extraction.
At the risk of being blackballed, or worse, I would suggest that you read up the information available on the Dover Locals forum or follow the news items ref Balcombe to gain as much insight into the operation before being overly concerned about the issue.
The scenario of black oil seeping through the off White Cliffs of Dover would not be a pretty sight, but the benefits long term should workable deposits be found, leaves the door open to more speculation.
Not a lot of help I know, but I do my best!
