(See Letter below)
UPDATE 26 MAY 19: Frack Free North Somerset (FFNS) call a public Fracking Meeting in Bleadon 11 June at 7:30pm
UPDATE 11 MAR 19: Resident complaint upheld by NSC re: councillor breach of Bleadon Parish Council’s Code of Conduct, in particular; Openness and Leadership
UPDATE: 12 FEB 19 email from Bleadon Parish Council's Clerk following Monday's public meeting, "I am responding in my role as Clerk to the parish council and support to the NP Group ... Fracking – no discussion at council, not mentioned by any resident on any of the surveys I have seen (which is only about 100 of the 281). You ask ‘why’ fracking was not on the survey – well, your email requesting it be put on the survey was noted but the issue was not considered relevant to this early stage survey. The [Bleadon Neighbourhood Development Planning Working] Group decided the questions – you were not on the group. No other resident requested any particular question."
UPDATE: 11 Feb 19 (Mins 319.3 & 319.11) Frack Free North Somerset speak at BPC public meeting and BPC's response.
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BOB has been informed that a landowner on Roman Road, Bleadon, has received a fracking related letter as seen on the Frack Free EQS facebook post (see copy below). It seems that Oil and Gas Exploration Survey letters are being sent to various North Somerset landowners.
On 8 Feb 19 Drill or Drop? wrote: "Frack Free North Somerset has established that at least two landowners in the parish of Bleadon had been contacted by the company. The group said both had declined the rental offer. A large, but unspecified rental fee had been mentioned, the group said. The issue is likely to be discussed next week at the meeting of Bleadon parish council (Monday 11 February 2019) and by Frack Free North Somerset at its planning meeting (Tuesday 12 February 2019) ..."
"... Richard Lawson from Frack Free North Somerset said, “The central thing that will, or should, kill this attempt to extract is that it is actually on the Mendip Hills, which are fissured limestone. So any drilling, particularly fracking, will inevitably contaminate the interconnected waterways that run through the limestone, importantly to Banwell, where Weston super Mare derives much of its water, and to the tourist areas of Cheddar, Wookey and Wells. A plan to frack in Keynsham, on the other end of the Mendips, was abandoned because it would contaminate the Roman Baths at Bath.”
More information can be found on the BOB Fracking page including information on North Somerset and Bleadon Parish Councillors' view on this topic.
BOB has been raising the fracking issue with Bleadon Parish Council (BPC) since 2016, e.g. Nov 18, and requested a question(s) in the recent Jan 2019 BPC Neighbourhood Development Plan survey, as reflected in a recent BOB NDP blog. So, hopefully BPC are prepared to answer any residents concerns.
The next Parish Council meeting is on Monday 11 Feb 2019, 7pm, at the Coronation Hall, but please note that this is not on the published agenda.
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Frack Free EQS - Facebook Post 07 Feb 2019
Oil and Gas Exploration Survey letters sent to North Somerset landowners!
South Western Energy has finally shown their hand with exploration plans for Bleadon in North Somerset. Bleadon is just a few miles south of Weston-super-Mare and lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
If you are a farmer or landowner please thoroughly research this contentious issue before making any decisions on whether to allow access to your land, or to lease or sell land to the oil and gas industry. Your long-term health and livelihood may be at stake. Please let us know if you have been approached.
In the event that you might be opposed to the possibility of oil and gas production activities despoiling this area, and further contributing to the climate crisis, please note that the next meeting to be held by Bleadon Parish Council will take place on Monday 11th Feb at Coronation Hall, Bleadon, 7pm. Or write to the parish Clerk at parishclerk@bleadonparishcouncil.co.uk and ask that they put oil and gas exploration/development on their agenda and allow the public to participate at the meeting.
Let's support them and get the message out there that this area is potentially under threat from fracking.
Attached is a letter from Gerwyn Williams, CEO of South Western Energy, to a resident of Bleadon. We can confirm that the letter is genuine and that other landowners have been contacted to request access to their land for the purposes of undertaking pre-drilling application surveys. The image quality of the attached photo is poor so for your convenience this is what can be deciphered:
5th December 2018
(Name & partial address withheld)
Roman Road
Bleadon
Dear Madam Re: HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION - Bleadon, Weston-super-Mare
Our company, South Western Energy Limited, holds Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence xxx (xxxxx) which was granted by the Oil and Gas Authority in the 14th Onshore Licensing Round and is exclusive in terms of hydrocarbon exploration. We would like to carry out exploration work for hydrocarbons on your land near Bleadon, Weston-Super-Mare. This limited exploration process(?) does not include any drilling or fracking but a walkover xxx using a small team that can carry equipment over the land, is a non-intrusive and would take around 3(?) hours to complete. Following the results of this test we would have a much clearer picture in terms of the presence of hydrocarbons or otherwise. This work does not need planning permission. There is xxxx from this xxx xxxxx xxxxx to agree the best location for the exploration work. Please see attached the following location plan: xxxxxx Location Plan [Ref: xxxxxxx] From our initial geological modelling the site shows good potential for the production of hydrocarbons. Initially we would like to gain a temporary licence from you to carry out a walkover test. If this test xxxx positive, we would like to reach an agreement with you to drill a well and negotiate a long term production related rent payable to you which will represent a long term, stable income for you if production is successful.
Signed by Gerwyn Williams
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