Guest 756- Registered: 6 Jun 2012
- Posts: 727
Keith, if a politicians lips are moving then it's a lie!
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
It's all very odd. On which evidence did he reach his conclusion regarding the dangers? Did he merely take the view put forward by activists who, in general, have managed to get their facts wrong on this and other environmental issues or did he speak to experts in the field?
Guest 1694- Registered: 24 Feb 2016
- Posts: 1,087
Charlie has said that he is in favour of shale and coal bed gas extraction using fracking or other methods - just so long as it does not happen in East Kent. Sorry, sounds nimby to me, catch a few more middle class conservatively inclined, new eco warrior votes.
Test drilling has occurred many times over the years around here without any problems from contamination of our water aquifers. The contamination that did occur was from seepage of coal seam water that had been pumped out to prevent flooding of the works.
As I said before, I wouldn't actively campaign to bring the drillers here, but cannot find a rational reason to object to the test drilling and whilst I'd object to actual CBME on the grounds of the known high risk of pollution of the aquifer, even those objections could be overcome if the commercial extractors could prove that water pumped from the seams will be properly purified from its contaminants before release back to the environment.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
oh I am sorry,i didn't relise that there where coal mines in sussex,surry and Essex.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
lost me there brian, not for the first time either.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
well that's easy howard,there where at least 4 coal mines in kent,but never heard od of any in the other counties I mentiond.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
sorry brian i cannot find reference to coal mines in essex, sussex or surrey on this thread.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
exactly howard because there is none to reference to.not on the thread or actull mines in those 3 countys.so fracking for gas,oil etc would make sense.but having said that it will upset the upper class snobs who live there.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,919
neil
i dont think it has been established that there wont be problems relating to local houses etc by these methods
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
Guest 1057- Registered: 21 Sep 2013
- Posts: 25
Hi all, new to the DF today but have been reading all your posts especially with reference to the Guston borehole drilling application. I am the Chair of Guston Parish Council, a long standing resident in the parish and live in close proximity to the proposed drilling site. We are working flat out to obtain as much information on the details submitted within the application by Coastal Oil and Gas. We have put together a comprehensive and detailed report after finding many discrepancies within the documents and have sent this to the Environmental Agency and KCC to request a full investigation. All we can ask from residents and local communities is to request that they log their comments on the planning application by 15th Nov deadline, online
www.kent.gov.uk/planning, by post to Invicta Hse, Maidstone or by email
planning.applications@kent.gov.uk ref: DO/0216/2013.
The GPC website has information, and has had since the first day we were informed of the application, it also holds the minutes from the Residents meeting at Burgoyne Community Centre 19th Sept. We acted immediately to inform as many residents as possible and arranged the residents meeting within days. We also run a Guston.Village Facebook page which was set up 2011 listing information on all aspects of village improvements/concerns within the village. We have hand delivered letters to residents in Guston, Pineham and the Archers Court Rd in an effort to let people know, as KCC effort did not reach a very wide perimeter. We are also hoping to have an article in the Dover Mercury next week.
The GPC website lists our clerks email address, she is very efficient and will respond to queries. She is also happy to forward on constructive comments onto KCC if you would prefer.
We are now also in negotiations with Tilmanstone and Shepherdswell parish councils concerning merging certain members of our teams to act as a separate committee re: all 3 applications, so if something urgent comes to light we can act immediately.
Quite rightly people have concerns and worries about this type of exploratory works and unfortunately Oliver Taylor increased the scepticism rather than abating it during the question session being unable to answer many questions that were put to him. They are a small company but am pretty sure their financial stability will be strengthened by their parent company who is a much stronger contender. GPC are working hard to oppose this application on behalf of our parish and we can only hope that the KCC planning committee will sit up and take notice of our concerns !
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
welcome to the forum tracey, excellent and informative post.
great idea about pooling resources and sharing information with the other two parishes affected, our m.p. has now come out clearly against the exploratory work so an important ally had been gained.
what i couldn't understand was why the chap from coastal oil and gas was unable to answer questions from residents bearing in mind the same questions must have been asked many times before in similar situations.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Welcome to the forum Tracey and my compliments on a very good, informative and sensible first post, on a thread that is very contentious.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 1057- Registered: 21 Sep 2013
- Posts: 25
Howard, Don't think it was a case of Oilver from Coastal Oil and Gas not being able to answer the questions....of course he could but more a case of wouldn't. One of our residents really pinned him down on the extraction process, chemicals involved etc and his reply was ' I don't know'. Being in the game and carrying out exploratory drilling in Wales and Scotland you would have thought he would know the process from start to finish! Clearly some details are avoided. If he really 'didn't know' then that's extremely worrying as we then have a drilling company that doesn't know what's what.
I saw the newspaper article in the Mercury but am told that there was also one in The Telegraph last week which states that the Environment Agency are in a consultation process concerning the issuing of permits for drilling....tighter regulation etc ...will watch this and see what evolves.
Paul Watkins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 9 Nov 2011
- Posts: 2,226
Well done Tracy. You have shown the very responsible approach Guston are taking.
Watty
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
I agree, this is the best possible approach that everyone should adopt when dealing with authorities that want to allow important issues such as this, without fully taking into consideration of the local communities that are or could be effected.
The biggest issue here is the lack of reasonable notice, along with full disclosure of what and how, in this case the drilling, is going to be carried out and what possible effects it will have for our communities.
It is not good enough for officers or companies, to state that they have given minimum notice and sufficient information that they are required to do so.
In cases like this one, full disclosure and full transparency is called for from all sides and Tracey ( GPC) have the right approach and I hope they will be successful with gaining the information and co-operation that they are asking for.
Members of the communities should not be just informed they should be involved as well.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 1057- Registered: 21 Sep 2013
- Posts: 25
Thanks for your support Gary
Very concerned by the flyer posted through my letterbox today on behalf of Clair Hawkins, Labour Party.
Our Parish Council and Residents Association have been fighting for 3 weeks to keep the objection to the planning application focused on true facts ie, borehole drilling and oppose on the details given within the documents. NOT start an anti fracking campaign when clearly fracking is not mentioned in the application. We are not naive, we can see the bigger picture but understand turning into protestors isn't going to gain us any points!
I for one will not be attending the meeting in the town hall next week. All this will achieve is publicity for the group and encourage the 'professional' protestors to take over our villages. It is not the answer and our village would not cope with the influx....very frustrating
Guest 1694- Registered: 24 Feb 2016
- Posts: 1,087
Tracey, welcome to the forum. Couldn't agree more with yours above. Protests on the basis of a totally false premise will be absolutely counter productive and will undermine the legitimate concerns and objections raised both now and later (should extraction permissions be applied for).
Personally I'm not opposed to test drilling, but am concerned that the companies learn the lessons from the coal mining era and do not repeat the mistakes that led to the contamination of the aquifers back then. To ensure that this is the case, they need to speak with us and we with them and we need to deal with the questions raised by the applications on the table - not scream at them about something that they are nor going to do.
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
Cripes Tracey I know what you mean. Letting that lot on the bandwagon would tip it right over. They see this as a political opportunity and nothing more hoping that ed's madcap and humiliatingly disastrous attempt to freeze the price of energy might still convince those at the back of the queue when they were handing out brain cells that there is still some traction in the idea.
You only have to see the price that "green" energy companies such as ecotricity are charging to see the futility of this stupid idea.
Of course this should remain local and not allow itself (probably impossible however) to be turned into another Balcombe and not be the poster child for those on either side of the argument to prance around on a public stage.
Hopefully the meeting will be a fact finding exercise and no more than that but I don't hold out any great hope for that.