Company looking to test for fracking in Harthill

Harthill with Woodall Parish Council said it had received a request from chemical company Ineos to carry out seismic testing at various sites in the village \_ including three owned by the council.

Cllr Ian Lloyd, parish council chairman, said Ineos had contacted the council at the beginning of August wanting to carry out exploratory works on the three areas of public land.

Cllr Lloyd said: “There are three parcels of parish council land and at least two private individuals have been approached.

“They wrote to us at the beginning of August and if you agree within a certain time-scale, there is a sum of money.

“The parish council will pass that date so there will be no money involved as far as we are concerned.”

The government granted a wave of exploratory fracking licences across the country in 2015.

They allow companies to carry out seismic testing on possible fracking sites \_ to find where shale gas is.

Cllr Lloyd said fracking was on the agenda at the council’s last meeting on September 20. 

He said: “We didn’t make a decision because Ineos wanted to come and speak to the parish council, but we declined and said if they want to speak it should be at a public meeting.

“At the moment, that statement has not been replied to.”

Cllr Lloyd said Ineos wanted to carry out work on Spen’s Field, just off Woodall Lane, and a council allotment site.

He said: “We haven’t made a decision on fracking yet but it can be quite invasive from what we understand because they bring in big machinery.

“A public meeting would enable us to gauge some idea about how the village feels about it to enable us to make a decision.

“But as far as we are concerned, until such time there is a meeting, it will not be discussed at a parish council meeting.”

Richard Longden, communications manager at Ineos, said: “We are speaking to land owners at the moment and we are planning to take detailed 3D imaging of the geology beneath the ground called seismic testing.

“We can then see where the shale layer might be and include that with all the other work that’s being done.

“We would absolutely be willing to have a public meeting. We have done this with many councils and we’d be more than happy to do that in Harthill.”

Harthill Parish Council’s next meeting will be held at the Village Hall on Tuesday, October 11, from 7pm. 

But a date for the fracking meeting is yet to be confirmed.