We would have all preferred that the Council planners had approved Cuadrilla's application across the board, but there is actually quite a bit of good news in the rejection.
1) The Development Control Committee has yet to render its decision. It will make its first verdict on 1/28.
2) The one week period until then may give Cuadrilla time to scramble, and satisfy the Committee regarding noise and traffic before the decision is made. (Cuadrilla says they have already satisfied some of the issues in late-filed material)
3) It gives the company the opportunity to argue points regarding the tradeoffs between some temporary local discomfort and the energy security and economic benefits which will be felt on a much larger scale before a decision is made.
4) It is clear from the planners' decision document that the various health/env/safety arguments against fracking are not seen as stumbling blocks. This is a very big deal to Cuadrilla and other shale players in the UK. We won on the important grounds and lost on issues that are easiest to remedy.
5) An appeal, if necessary, would focus on noise/traffic. The timeline could be much shorter than the original permission timeline.
Other thoughts?
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