In accordance with Rule No 13.1, Councillor Paul Peacock will move and Councillor Neal Mitchell will second a motion to the following effect:
The Government has put forward proposals via a Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) to allow the exploration phase of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to be allowed under Permitted Development (PD). The Government also propose to bring the production phase of fracking under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime, allowing applications to be decided centrally by the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State. The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government are currently consulting on these proposals.
If these proposals are enacted there will be no local decision making over applications for the exploration for shale gas and no local control over applications for the production stage of fracking.
Therefore in responding to the Consultations ‘Permitted Development for shale gas exploration’ and ‘Inclusion of shale gas production projects in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime’:
1. Newark and Sherwood District Council believes that local people have the right to be involved in the decision making of applications for the exploration of shale gas and applications for the production phase of fracking;
2. Newark and Sherwood District Council endorses local decision making of fracking applications by local Minerals Planning Authorities;
3. Newark and Sherwood District Council supports the current Nottinghamshire Minerals Plan and the policies within it; and
4. Newark and Sherwood District Council instructs our officers to respond to the government consultation accordingly, by rejecting the changes proposed for PD and NSIP as inappropriate and with the view that the Nottinghamshire Minerals Plan should have primacy for all planning decisions at all stages of fracking.
Minutes:
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 13.1, Councillor P Peacock moved and Councillor N Mitchell seconded a motion to the following effect:
“The Government has put forward proposals via a Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) to allow the exploration phase of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to be allowed under Permitted Development (PD). The Government also propose to bring the production phase of fracking under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime, allowing applications to be decided centrally by the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State. The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government are currently consulting on these proposals.
If these proposals are enacted there will be no local decision making over applications for the exploration for shale gas and no local control over applications for the production stage of fracking.
Therefore in responding to the Consultations ‘Permitted Development for shale gas exploration’ and ‘Inclusion of shale gas production projects in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime’:
1. Newark & Sherwood District Council believes that local people have the right to be involved in the decision making of applications for the exploration of shale gas and applications for the production phase of fracking;
2. Newark & Sherwood District Council endorses local decision making of fracking applications by local Minerals Planning Authorities;
3. Newark & Sherwood District Council supports the current Nottinghamshire Minerals Plan and the policies within it; and
4. Newark & Sherwood District Council instructs our officers to respond to the Government consultation accordingly, by rejecting the changes proposed for PD and NSIP as inappropriate and with the view that the Nottinghamshire Minerals Plan should have primacy for all planning decisions at all stages of fracking.”
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 26.4, Councillor R V Blaney moved and Councillor D J Lloyd seconded an amendment to the motion to change the wording according to the following:
(a) Insert “non” before hydraulic in the second line;
(b) Insert “and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy respectively” after the word Government in the final line of the first paragraph; and
(c) In (2), delete the words ‘Newark & Sherwood District Council endorses’ and replace with “Newark & Sherwood District Council supports the position of Nottinghamshire County Council and agrees that” and delete the word ‘by’ and insert the words “should remain with”.
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 25.4 Councillors P Peacock and N Mitchell accepted the amendment which accordingly became the substantive motion, as follows:
“The Government has put forward proposals via a Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) to allow the exploration phase of non-hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to be allowed under Permitted Development (PD). The Government also propose to bring the production phase of fracking under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime, allowing applications to be decided centrally by the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State. The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy respectively are currently consulting on these proposals.
If these proposals are enacted there will be no local decision making over applications for the exploration for shale gas and no local control over applications for the production stage of fracking.
Therefore in responding to the Consultations ‘Permitted Development for shale gas exploration’ and ‘Inclusion of shale gas production projects in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime’:
1. Newark & Sherwood District Council believes that local people have the right to be involved in the decision making of applications for the exploration of shale gas and applications for the production phase of fracking;
2. Newark & Sherwood District Council supports the position of Nottinghamshire County Council and agrees that local decision making of fracking applications should remain with local Minerals Planning Authorities;
3. Newark & Sherwood District Council supports the current Nottinghamshire Minerals Plan and the policies within it; and
4. Newark & Sherwood District Council instructs our officers to respond to the government consultation accordingly, by rejecting the changes proposed for PD and NSIP as inappropriate and with the view that the Nottinghamshire Minerals Plan should have primacy for all planning decisions at all stages of fracking.”
The substantive motion, on being put to the vote was declared carried unanimously.