Appeal process, page-9

Ok guys, time to reflect.

1. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

2. This was always to be a matter of appeal. Win or lose. Now Cuadrilla and/or national government has to take next steps. What is important is that it became blatantly clear that there are no rational or legal grounds left to stop this development. The Council can vote until it sees blue in the face, but clearly this is a situation that is unreasonable to the applicant. They complied with anything the planners put forward, meantime obtaining approval from all other regulators. This is obstruction and against the content of planners assessment as well as national policies. Had it been approved, the handful of protestors would have made sure (with the help of their Occupy/NGO/IS supporters) that they appealed. Now we control the tempo at which steps are taken.

3. The biggest joke yesterday was voting down the second application regarding the sensor network. Last week they approved a similar plan. This time it was voted down. And when that was done and dusted, the Council planner had to remind them to come up with a reason. For this they had to adjourn the meeting, and come back with 'industrialisation of landscape'. Clearly to obstruct Cuadrilla so they cannot start rolling out as a first step to the main application. This does impact Cuadrilla planning and is negative in terms of practicality. Obstruction with an aim to delay and incur cost for Cuadrilla.

Within the next weeks we will see a more firm reaction of national government. I do not know what they will do, but clearly it is a key element of their agenda of this majority government. They have done many things to facilitate shale planning, but irrational and stupid behaviour is something hard to prevent.

One Councillor broke 4 toes the night before, tripping over documents with evidence on fracking in her house. She was studying it late at night, and it was so much, she said.
Her role however formally is to judge the application on its merits. Straight forward planning issues. That was the document she should have studied. It shows the underlying manipulation. At least there was some Karma here.