A leaked letter from Cabinet ministers to Chancellor George Osborne has revealed government proposals to take planning decisions for fracking wells away from local councils in a bid to kick-start the development of the industry in the UK. The 10-page plan, which was leaked to Friends of the Earth and first published in The Telegraph this weekend, proposes that commercial shale production be classified as Nationally Significant Infrastructure from as early as this year. This would take planning applications for exploration wells out of the hands of councils, transferring the responsibility to the Planning Inspectorate – the government body responsible for examining planning applications of national importance.
Business Green 1st Feb 2016 read more »