Balcombe anti-fracking group launches crowd-funding campaign against hydrocarbon exploration at Sussex oil well

A Balcombe residents group has launched a crowd-funding campaign to challenge the government’s decision to allow Angus Energy to test for hydrocarbons near their village.
By Lawrence Smith
Published 15th Mar 2023, 12:19 BST
Updated 30th Mar 2023, 16:54 BST
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The Frack Free Balcombe Residents Association (FFBRA) has passed its initial £5,000 target to cover pre-action legal costs and now aims to raise £35,000 to cover the cost of the action.

The campaign comes after an independent Planning Inspector permitted an appeal from Angus Energy to undertake 30 months of hydrocarbon exploration at the existing oil well at the Lower Stumble Exploration site, off London Road.

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The decision, which was made on February 13 and was welcomed by Angus Energy, was met with dismay from FFBRA members and some Mid Sussex District councillors.

The Frack Free Balcombe Residents Association (FFBRA) has launched a crowd funding campaign to challenge the government’s decision to allow Angus Energy to test for hydrocarbons near their villageThe Frack Free Balcombe Residents Association (FFBRA) has launched a crowd funding campaign to challenge the government’s decision to allow Angus Energy to test for hydrocarbons near their village
The Frack Free Balcombe Residents Association (FFBRA) has launched a crowd funding campaign to challenge the government’s decision to allow Angus Energy to test for hydrocarbons near their village

FFBRA chairman Sue Taylor said: “It is extraordinary that a small village has to take the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove to the High Court to stop oil exploration in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.”

Mid Sussex District councillor Jenny Edwards (Green Party, Ardingly and Balcombe) said: “This decision threatens not just the environment but the proper functioning of the democratic process in this country. The application was unanimously rejected by WSCC and yet it is still going ahead. We need to fight this tooth and nail.”

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FFBRA said it has instructed Leigh Day solicitors and counsels Merrow Golden and David Wolfe KC to examine the decision.

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Balcombe resident Douglas Wragg said: “The village has been battling tirelessly to stop further work on this site since 2013. Last year, with the unanimous support of West Sussex County Council against the application of Angus Energy, we thought the issue was finally resolved and our community and countryside was safe.”

In the Appeal Decision, the Inspector said the benefit of exploration outweighed any adverse impact on the AONB, adding that ‘the national need is the overriding consideration’.

They said: “There remains a significant national need for onshore hydrocarbon exploration and assessment for considerable time to come. This weighs greatly in favour of this appeal, given also the great policy weight still attributed nationally to the benefits of mineral extraction.”

The district council confirmed that the Planning Inspector had only permitted a 30-month period of exploration and testing and said there is no planning permission for energy extraction.

Visit www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-balcombe-oil or www.frackfreebalcombe.org.uk to find out more.

Related topics:Sussex