Energy company ‘committed to on-going dialogue’ over Wisborough Green exploratory drilling site

Celtique Energie held a two-day exhibition event last month at Kirdford Village Hall to explain their plans to residents, which was attended by 160 members of the public.

They are currently finalising proposals before submitting an application for the site south of Northup Copse to West Sussex County Council as the local Minerals Planning Authority.

Permission would only be granted for a temporary rig, and if sizeable energy deposits were found, Celtique would have to submit another application for a permanent well.

Geoff Davies, chief executive officer of Celtique, said: “We are fully committed to an on-going dialogue with the community and will provide further information when our application is finalised and submitted in the coming weeks.”

He said that based on feedback traffic in and out of the site seemed to be the main issue. They had spoken to the county council about Boxal Bridge, which was confirmed as suitable for light and heavy vehicle use, while they are also currently undertaking an Environmental Impact Assessment looking at the local wildlife.

Queries on proposals can still be directed to [email protected] or residents can call Celtique’s community information line on 0800 023 2148 from 9-5.30pm Monday to Friday.