Canatxx gas bid set for rejection 21 January 2010 By Julia BennettANTI-Canatxx campaigners have reached a milestone in their fight to stop gas being stored under the River Wyre after County Hall planning officers recommended refusal of the plan.Planning chiefs say the American firm, which wants to store 1.2 million tonnes of gas in caverns, has failed to provide enough information to ensure the Preesall geology is capable of accommodating the development.
The company has also been criticised for failing to prove gas could not migrate through the geology or via former mining activities.
Concerns were also raised that the £300m development would be "detrimental to the quality of the open character of the countryside, coastal plain, estuary landscape and Wyre Way".
Jubilant MPs and neighbours, who have fought two previous planning applications, welcomed the recommendation and said they now hoped Canatxx would "pack up and go home".
Ian Mulroy, chairman of Protect Wyre Group, said: "We are very pleased and we feel the refusal has been recommended for all the right reasons €“ because of the lack of information from Canatxx.
"We have still got to go before the committee but we feel confident they will uphold the planning officers' recommendation. Canatxx may pack up and go home now."
The recommendation comes just a week before the county council's development control committee is due to make a decision on the planning application
THE ARTICLE BELOW APPEARED IN THE GAZETTE ON THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27TH 2009
26 November 2009 By Julia BennettBATTLELINES have been drawn in the final fight to store more than a million tonnes of gas under Wyre's countryside. More than 8,500 campaigners have now joined the protest against Canatxx's proposals – as the date for the long-awaited decision is revealed.
In just over two months – on January 27 – Lancashire County Council will hold a special meeting to discuss the American firm's proposals to build a £300m, 1.2m tonne gas storage facility in Preesall under the River Wyre. Canatxx chief executive Paul Grimes has previously said: "The caverns cannot blow up, they cannot collapse, they are inherently safe."
Representations on the Canatxx planning application can be made up until the date of the meeting. TO READ THE FULL GAZETTE ARTICLE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
Click on the link below to follow the progress of this important issuewww.pwgroup.org.uk
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IS FROM THE BLACKPOOL EVENING GAZETTE OCTOBER 27th 2008MP: Dig deep in Canatxx battle Ben Wallace MP met with Stalmine residents to discuss Canatxx's gas storage plans By Joe Robinson WYRE'S MP has issued a rallying call to residents – "You must dig deep to fight Canatxx again." The American firm has targeted December 1 as the date it will resubmit plans to store more than one million tons of natural gas in salt caverns near the River Wyre at Preesall.
But speaking at a meeting of concerned residents who had visited the Canatxx site, Ben Wallace said the people of Wyre "shouldn't be fooled" by the new scheme. He added: "It looks like this application is little or no different to the original one in its basis.
It's something the Government, the community and Lancashire County Council have said no to and it was rejected by the planning inspectorate on the basis of geology which cannot change. Their new spin campaign is full of misinformation and I would urge people not to be taken in. The people of Wyre need to dig deep again and go back to making their case that this is not welcome."
Mr Wallace told around 20 people from Staynall, Stalmine and Preesall how he had refused to meet with Canatxx claiming there was "no point" unless the firm wanted to tell him it would abandon their plans. He also confirmed he had held talks with Welsh Power, the firm behind a proposed new £600m power station in Thornton. It said it had no link and need for the Canatxx scheme.
Ruth McCann, owner of the Sportsmans Caravan Park, at The Heads, Stalmine, which borders the Canatxx site, said: "We like it down here and we don't want Canatxx putting us at risk."
Mr Wallace will now organise a fresh petition.
Before the previous application, more than 12,000 people signed up to oppose the plans which were thrown out in October 2007.
The firm, which held a three-day public exhibition this week, has insisted its latest scheme is vital to the UK and could add up to 20 per cent to the country's gas storage capacity.
Canatxx chief executive Paul Grimes said the scheme would be peer reviewed and closer working with the Health and Safety Executive and the British Geological Survey would reinforce the firm's claim that the plant would pose no risk.
A Canatxx spokesman added: "The application has not been completed let alone submitted. Mr Wallace has refused to engage and find out about the new application so I query where he gets his view that the application is not different. As for his allegation of misinformation, this is completely untrue.
