Lancashire County Council serves enforcement notice on Cuadrilla at Preston New Road

Lancashire County Council serves enforcement notice on Cuadrilla at Preston New Road

Lancashire County Council's Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities Joshua Roberts has welcomed enforcement action taken against Cuadrilla Resources to ensure the long-delayed restoration of the Preston New Road fracking site.

The enforcement notice, served by Lancashire County Council as the mineral planning authority, requires Cuadrilla to complete the removal of infrastructure and restore the site to agricultural land within a set timeframe.

Work to remove equipment and structures is now underway. However, Councillor Roberts has been clear that this is not the end of the matter — the site must be fully restored within the required timeframe, and the council will not hesitate to take further action if obligations are not met.

Local residents have had to live alongside the site for far longer than should ever have been the case. Under successive administrations, enforcement was slow and obligations went unchallenged. That approach is over.

Lancashire County Council's Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities Joshua Roberts said:

^{"Since taking responsibility for mineral and waste planning, I have been clear that Lancashire County Council will not be taken advantage of by companies that ignore planning conditions or fail to meet their obligations.}

^{"The days of weak enforcement are over. Local residents have waited long enough. This site must be fully restored, and we will not hesitate to act further if necessary.}

^{"It's time to get this land back to agricultural use — where it belongs."}

The Preston New Road site near Blackpool became one of the most contested fracking sites in the UK before a national moratorium on fracking was introduced. Despite operations ceasing, the site has remained only partially cleared, leaving the surrounding community and landscape in limbo.

Lancashire County Council has confirmed it will continue to monitor compliance closely.

https://news.lancashire.gov.uk/news/enforcement-notice-served-on-cuadrilla-at-preston-new-road-site