Shale gas explorer confirms it apply to drill four exploration wells in Lancashire in the coming weeks, reports BusinessGreen

The UK's most high profile shale gas developer, Cuadrilla Resources, announced on Monday that it is poised to submit planning applications for exploratory wells at its site in Lancashire, raising the prospect of a summer of protests against the controversial development.

The company issued a statement confirming it would put forward a planning application to Lancashire County Council for it to drill, hydraulically fracture, and test the flow of gas at up to four exploratory wells at its proposed site at Preston New Road. It added that plans would also be submitted to install a series of seismic monitoring stations within four kilometres of the proposed site, in order to monitor the risk of earth tremors that may result from the drilling.

Cuadrilla said the planning application had followed "extensive public consultation" and would be accompanied by a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment undertaken by consultancy Arup.

It also said the Preston New Road proposal would be followed later this summer by a separate planning application for a second exploration site at the nearby Roseacre Wood.

Francis Egan, chief executive at the company, said the first planning application could prove to be a "really important milestone for Lancashire and the UK as we seek to unlock Lancashire's shale gas potential".

"The development of the shale gas industry has the potential to bring significant investment, community benefits and opportunities for local people and the North West and UK economies," he added. "We have undertaken extensive consultation and engagement with the local communities on these applications and have listened carefully to what people have told us."

The move is likely to be welcomed by the government, which has called for developers to accelerate work to assess whether fracking projects will be able to extract commercially viable shale gas.

However, the new plans, which are now expected to be assessed by the council for up to 16 weeks, are expected to face staunch opposition from some local residents and green groups.

Helen Rimmer, campaigner for Friends of the Earth North West, said the proposals came at a time when "public support for shale gas in the UK has fallen below 50% for the first time".

"The public is rightly concerned that fracking causes more problems than it solves - there are risks for our water supply, our health and the beautiful Fylde environment, and it won't lower energy bills or create anywhere near as many jobs as renewables," she said.

Lancashire Councillor John Fillis, who is in charge of highways in the county, also recently reportedly voiced fears that earth tremors related to fracking activity could cause roads to "collapse".