South Downs MP speaks out against fracking in West Sussex

The Arundel and South Downs MP spoke out following the Government’s launch of a new consultation on fracking before any decision making.

The consultation will hear from local authorities, parish councils, scientific evidence and the views of those directly affected by proposed developments around fracking as part of the Government’s ‘Fracking Consent Mechanism.’

The Government has also announced a series of proposals for industry to consider in the interest of local people affected by fracking. This includes direction to ensure that fracking should only take place where it benefits local people and does not cause significant disruption to communities.

Andrew Griffith said: “I have always made clear my opposition against fracking in West Sussex. It is good to hear the Government will take seriously the views of people directly affected by proposed fracking in our community.

“Our rural countryside roads cannot support the unsustainable construction traffic fracking would bring and I share residents’ concerns that they would be disproportionately impacted by such developments.”

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Fracking – otherwise known as hydraulic fracturing – is a technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock. It involves drilling into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a rock layer in order to release the gas inside.

It was halted in the UK in 2019 following concerns about earth tremors, but that ban was lifted last month.