THE decision on whether to allow fracking in Ryedale will be made in less than three weeks.

North Yorkshire County Council's (NYCC) planning committee will vote on Third Energy's application to test frack at Kirby Misperton on Monday, November 2.

The news comes after Ryedale District Council (RDC), a key consultee on the application, recommended that fracking should not go ahead for five years.

A spokesman for NYCC said: “The provisional date identified for the county council’s determination of the Third Energy KM8 application is November 2.

"However, this date will be kept under review as it is dependent on the progress of the application.”

On Thursday, RDC passed a five-year moratorium on the controversial shale gas extraction method by 13 votes to seven, with eight abstentions.

The decision, which came during a packed and often heated meeting at Ryedale House, must now be taken into account by RDC's planning committee when making its recommendation on the Third Energy bid.

Councillor John Clark, who proposed the moratorium, said: "This issue is massive. It's not only massive in terms of Ryedale, Kirby Misperton, Yorkshire and the UK, it could be massive in terms of the planet as well.

"On that basis, to have not had a policy in place for the last three years really is a dereliction of duty.

"We need this for the people now. We need this for our children and their grandchildren."

Speaking during public question time, Lorraine Allanson, of the Friends of Ryedale Gas Exploration (FORGE), said: "Politics should not come in the way of Ryedale's future.

"Ryedale council should be leading the way by listening to the facts and not just the stories.

"All I ask is that councillors look at what experts write rather than just looking at internet experts."

Speaking after the meeting, Monica Gripaios, from Frack Free Ryedale, said: "This is a clear signal to the NYCC and the government that people in Ryedale do not want the traffic, noise, pollution and creeping industrialisation that fracking would bring to this quiet rural area, which relies heavily on tourism and agriculture for its prosperity."

A spokesman for Third Energy said: “There are no grounds for the Ryedale District Council vote.

"Responsible and internationally respected bodies and experts, including Public Health England, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management and the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering, have all concluded that the risks of fracking can be managed in a well regulated environment, which we have in the UK."