The Tory Haslemere Facebook is calling ‘Your Waverley’ rotten for fighting alongside the county council against UKOG’s appeal to drill for hydrocarbons on the Loxley site in Dunsfold.
The WW wonders why the Tory Haslemere Fact Check considers that any money spent on defending the countryside is money wasted?
Former Alfold resident Ashey Ward owns the site, much of which goes under Dunsfold airfield – a proposed garden village for 2,600 homes.
The Government blocks shale gas schemes elsewhere – but backs exploration in Dunsfold
So why isn’t UKOG threatening to sue SW Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt?
I see Haslemere Herald is now the tool of choice for the local Tory PR / smear campaign. Once we hear the weasel words “the Herald understands” we know that it is a copy/paste press release from a bitter Tory Councillor going out without checking. Threats? UKOGs CEO is known for his bravado and BS so it is no surprise that he threatens to sue to fend off criticism. Note he hasn’t sued. He is on record for inflating the size of the prospect for oil, then changing that to gas as the direction of the PR wind blows, then telling all that his oil will produce PPE for doctors, then his gas will fend off the Russian blockades, and his 10,000s of road tankers will save the environment.
As for what Steve said, I think it is pretty clear, there is no clean up bond, UKOG have no money, UKOG are unlikely to find oil or gas in commercial volumes, and the stories that we all heard from residents that live near other Weald sites made it very clear that the risk from Hydrogen Sulphide is a real risk – as proven by the drilling in the same licence field as Loxley in 1980. The only bit I am not so sure Steve is correct on is the bit about loss of ancient woodland… hardly a basis for court action.
On the comment about ancient woodland – it is a well-known and published fact that Waverley’s former Chief Planning Officer Liz the Biz stated categorically that when ancient woodland was lost in Cranleigh – that “you can easily plant new trees,”