Last chance to comment on oil drilling plans for Puddletown
Eco-campaigners say the proposals would be 'disastrous' for Dorset and the climate.
Last updated 8th Feb 2022
It's your last chance to comment on plans for a new oil well near Puddletown as a public consultation comes to a close.
Eco-campaigners are urging members of the public to object to a planning application to drill for oil in the Dorset countryside, which they say is incompatible with Dorset Council policies and the need to address the climate emergency.
But developer South Western Energy says the proposals will actually reduce the country's carbon footprint by reducing the reliance on imports from other countries.
The application to drill a vertical oil well just off the A354 near Athelhampton was first submitted in December 2019 by South Western Energy Ltd. It would be built less than a kilometre away from the historic Athelhampton House.
If approved, the proposal will see an oil well being drilled next to a sensitive chalk stream and up to ten HGVs a day passing through Dorset to the Fawley Refinery 50 miles away.
Campaigners argue that allowing the proposal would be incompatible with the Dorset climate emergency declaration, the government’s Net Zero Strategy and last year’s warnings from the International Energy Agency that no new oil is needed anywhere from 2021.
Local campaigners are urging members of the public to take action against the proposal by logging onto the Dorset Council Planning Portal and lodging their objections before the deadline of 9th February.
Vicki Elcoate from Dorset Climate Action Network said:
“We estimate that if approved, the oil well will generate a total of 9 million tonnes of greenhouse gases over its 20-year lifespan. That includes direct emissions from the site and the emissions generated when the oil is used. That’s equivalent to the average annual carbon emissions from 2.8 million homes. Methane leakage from the site could add 12% to Dorset’s overall greenhouse gas emissions."
Greatest Hits Radio Dorset has asked South Western Energy for a comment, but they have not yet responded.
You can still comment on the public consultation into the proposals until tomorrow.