Sign the petition to stop Streatham being fracked

Jean Lambert MEP came to Streatham last weekend, following the astonishing news that a license allowing exploratory fracking which covers the south of Streatham, has been issued by the Government.

The information is contained in the latest House of Commons briefing note on fracking issued in January.

The Government is also currently consulting on issuing a licence covering the rest of Streatham as part of its 14th licensing round. The consultation ends on 28th March.

The Government only issues licenses of this kind on the understanding that exploration for oil and gas goes ahead.

If you want to see whether your address is in the potential fracking area you can visit this website here and enter your postcode.

Northdown Energy, a company based in Wimbledon, has been given the UK Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence (PEDL) number 245, which covers the south of Streatham and an area around it. The geological area the license covers is in the north of the ‘Weald Basin’, described by Alamo Energy as “hydrocarbon prolific”.

Two other companies - Eurenergy Resource Corporation and Celtique Energie – have announced plans to drill for shale gas elsewhere in the same Basin.

Director of Northdown Energy Alexander MacDonald previously worked in the North Sea for both Conoco and Chevron. The company has formed a partnership with Alamo Energy, a US based company with several large scale fracking projects across the US.

No site has yet been identified to frack, which is why Lambeth should be declared a frack-free zone now. Planning permission would be required for the fracking to go ahead, so the local authority has the power to block it.

The pressure to frack is only going to grow. Boris Johnson said in July last year he wanted fracking to take place under London (it already takes place around cities in the US) and the Government is introducing business rate subsidies to encourage local authorities to back it.

There would be little (if any) benefit to Streatham, but potentially huge disruption and harm if fracking goes ahead.

Fracking is an industrial process requiring hundreds of lorries, millions of gallons of water and thousands of chemicals, with huge threats to air quality and water contamination. Dangerously high levels of cancer-causing benzene has been found in the air of towns in Dallas near drilling wells. An average of 400 tanker trucks are required to carry water and supplies to and from the site. Not only does this lead to a huge increase in traffic but it also causes significant damage to roads. It would also likely scupper any chance of bringing the tube to Streatham.

People have no rights to benefit financially from the hydrocarbons under their land. There is a growing consensus that it won't bring about significant cuts in energy prices either, despite all the initial hype.

Please sign the petition urging Lambeth Council to declare Lambeth a "Frack-Free Zone" here.