Surrey County Council is considering enforcement action against an oil company that is operating two wells in the county, despite a historic Supreme Court ruling quashing its planning permission.
The Supreme Court ruled in June that the council’s decision to grant planning permission for oil production at the Horse Hill site, near Horley, was unlawful because the council had not considered the indirect, downstream emissions of the oil when burnt.
Despite the ruling, the company, UK Oil and Gas, has continued operations, with a spokesperson telling the Times that the judgement ‘did not tell us to stop producing’.
In a statement on their website, the county council described the continued operations as ‘unlawful’ without planning permission.
‘Any development carried out in the absence of planning permission is vulnerable to formal enforcement action,’ it said.
‘The county council is continuing its enforcement investigation and will determine whether formal enforcement action is expedient.’
Campaigner Sarah Finch, who brought the Supreme Court on behalf of the Weald Action Group, said UK Oil and Gas is ‘carrying on as if nothing has happened.’
‘I hope the council will now swiftly put a stop to this. If they don't, they will look weak and ineffectual and will undermine respect for the planning system.’
Update: The developer suspending drilling on 28 October, shortly after this article was published.
Check out our interview with Sarah Finch: Fighting climate change in court and as a councillor
