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Manchester Court to hear Lancashire Fracking legal appeals tomorrow

news release

A local community fighting fracking in Lancashire is taking the Government to court at a hearing in Manchester tomorrow (15 March) which could last until Friday.

Preston New Road Action Group are appealing the decision by the Secretary of State Sajid Javid to overturn Lancashire County Council’s democratic refusal of Cuadrilla’s application to drill and frack four wells at the site near Blackpool. (1)

Frack Free Greater Manchester and groups from across the region will be gathering outside the court from 8 am to demonstrate support for the community’s legal challenge. (2)

Claire Stephenson from Preston New Road Action Group said:

“We have consistently, through legal process, fought to have the voice of local residents heard. The voice of our Community was loud and strong, and our council said no to fracking.

“Local democracy was overturned by the Secretary of State. Sajid Javid has not visited or engaged with the communities that would be affected to understand the real impacts of his decision. We seek to have the decision declared unjust and quashed.

“Dismantling local democracy was the only way this industry and central government could force fracking down the throats of unwilling local residents. There is no social licence to frack Lancashire.”

Judy Paskell from Frack Free Greater Manchester said

“We in Frack Free Greater Manchester stand shoulder to shoulder with the communities who are fighting to keep fracking – a filthy industry that pollutes water, makes people ill and worsens climate change – out of Lancashire and out of the UK.

“We have already persuaded companies in the Greater Manchester area to stop supplying the fracking site near Blackpool. If the court overturns the government’s disgraceful decision to allow fracking at this site, that will be a landmark victory. We can win!”

Notes

  1. http://pnrgroup.org.uk/2016/11/18/legal-proceedings-started-fracking/
  2. https://www.facebook.com/events/1885332408375117/

 

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