Messenger: Friends of the Earth warns Trafford Council for coal bed methane extraction in Davyhulme
FRIENDS of the Earth has written to Trafford Council to warn that it risks a legal challenge if the local authority grants permission for coal bed methane (CBM) extraction in Davyhulme.
Energy company IGas has had planning permission for the site – which is situated between United Utilities’ Davyhulme Waste Water Treatment Works and the M60 – since 2010, and recently sought to extend the time limit within which the planning permission can be implemented.
However, at a planning committee meeting on March 12, councillors delayed making a decision on the application until they could attend a technical briefing on the CBM process.
The planning documentation outlines that no rock fracturing or ‘fracking’ takes place during CBM, but it is an ‘unconventional gas’ resource, as it refers to gas trapped in deep underground rocks.