I READ with interest the FORGE advertisement in your September 9 edition. Thank heavens for a free press.

Surprising, isn’t it, that those “hard working locals” (Where have I heard that redundant adjective before?) and the pro-fracking groups mentioned are not “standing up, loud and proud” to crowd the Gazette & Herald’s pages with letters outlining the benefits of fracking, but have to resort to advertisements anonymously funded. How precisely are these people “working to secure a better future for all the people in the North”? Perhaps by funding specious advertisements.

Let’s look a little more closely at FORGE’s claims. Is it true that “these groups are led by Londoners”? (Show us your evidence FORGE), and that “many members are not local residents”. Is this in any case remotely relevant? We are as opposed to fracking in Lancashire and Scotland as we are to Cameron’s plans for Ryedale. It may be true that the voices of those opposed to fracking are the loudest. , even if in terms of concerted action against this abomination we feel occasionally that we are voices crying in the wilderness.

FORGE tells us that shale gas could bring benefits – business opportunities, jobs and energy security. (I notice they don’t claim any longer that energy will be cheaper.) Perhaps the writer of this advertisement has experience of the business opportunities fracking could bring, but nothing short of large-scale industrialisation over many years is likely to bring much in the way of jobs, except perhaps in the service industries catering for the imported specialist workers. Energy security (and jobs), it has often been argued in these columns, is better achieved by diverting the massive subsidies available in tax breaks to the fossil fuel industry to developing an indigenous renewable industry. Is FORGE not aware that the fossil fuel industry is in its death throes, has no more than 20 to 30 years of life if global warming is not to unleash unimaginable forces, not least migratory?

The charge of “negativity, alarmism and manipulating the vulnerable” is especially sad and your readers will not be slow to throw this back at the accusers – the lights will go out, there will be scores of jobs, these people are out to destroy our country’s energy security, energy will be cheaper with shale, we will have to rely on imports from Russia, are just a few of the negative, alarmist and manipulative yet unsubstantiated claims we have had to fight.

In judging the merit of claims on both sides, your readers will not be ignorant of the importance of applying among many others the “cui bono” principle – Who stands to gain? One ray of sunshine in this advertisement – your readers now know where to address their objections to the Kirby Misperton proposal by the second week in October.

David Cragg-James, Stonegrave

 

'Correcting some misconceptions'

THIS is an open letter to David Davis, planning spokesman, Frack Free Ryedale, and Chris Redston, communications director, Frack Free Ryedale I am writing, in my capacity as operations director of Third Energy, with reference to your press release on the approval by North Yorkshire County Council of our application to construct five water monitoring boreholes at our wellsite at Kirby Misperton.

The purpose of this communication is to correct some misconceptions in your release and to ask that you clarify some of the statements you make: l There is a misconception around baseline monitoring in your release. Baseline monitoring is defined as the “establishment of existing levels of anything material under scrutiny”. It follows that it is impossible to retrospectively create a baseline from a notional time in the past.

Third Energy is currently establishing a range of environmental baselines prior to hydraulic fracturing; further measurements will be taken during and after operations. This will allow us, the regulators and interested parties, such as Frack Free Ryedale, to establish if there has been any change, measured against the baseline, as a result of our activities.

l Could you explain your rationale for suggesting that Third Energy tried to “fast track” the application? This application went through all the proper considerations over a 21-week period, which is eight weeks longer than the statutory determination period.

l Your release states that one of the main thrusts of Frack Free Ryedale’s objection to fracking “is the lack of robust baseline environmental data”. We therefore hope you welcome the announcement by the British Geological Survey that it is undertaking a significant programme of environmental baseline monitoring across the Vale of Pickering. This will be transparent and independent of both Third Energy and the Regulators.

l Could you inform us what the technical issues are with siting water-monitoring boreholes on a well site with 20 years of conventional gas production? We are not aware of any specific issues.

l Your release refers to soil samples taken during a geo technical study, undertaken prior to the construction of the KMA wellsite extension in 2013, and included in the Environmental Permit Application. The soil samples were taken from agricultural land which lay upslope from the original well site. The elevated levels of heavy metals found are all elements that occur naturally in soil in small and varying quantities across the United Kingdom. Why would the presence of these metals invalidate further monitoring results? Establishing the existing levels of different elements, including heavy metals, is exactly what baseline studies are for.

l The release confuses the regulatory role of North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC), as the mineral planning authority, and that of the Environment Agency (although this is clearly set out in the planning officer’s report to committee members). The county council was asked to consider an application for the construction of water monitoring boreholes and not the environmental data that would be collected from them. NYCC have no need to seek “full advice” from the Environment Agency. As a statutory consultee, the Environment Agency response to NYCC stated “this proposal is a low risk activity which would be carried out using long-established practice”. They have also issued permits for the boreholes which is definitive approval.

l Could Frack Free Ryedale explain on what basis use of any monitoring data from these wells in future applications could be “wide open to legal challenge”?

l With regard to pre-determination and the precedent set by Lancashire County Council, the application for water monitoring boreholes at Roseacre Wood by Cuadrilla Resources was approved despite the fact that the main planning application was not approved.

It is disappointing that inaccurate information regarding fracking and Third Energy’s projects in North Yorkshire continue to be published. We have been operating in Ryedale for over two decades, safely and discretely, and we look forward to continuing our operations in the same way and simultaneously providing employment and energy for Ryedale.

John Dewar, Operations Director at Third Energy

 

We fought within the system

I FEEL I must respond to Mike Potter’s letter published in last week’s Gazette & Herald in which he criticised my involvement in the campaign against an asphalt plant at Whitewall Quarry.

Mr Potter stated that: “As Cllr Ives lives a few doors down from the quarry site, the word Nimby sprang to mind.”

For the record, I do not live a few doors from the quarry, I live in Wood Street (nearby the primary school) which is nowhere near the quarry site. If Mr Potter is to personally attack me, at least he should get his facts right.

My involvement in the campaign has nothing to do with self-interest, but an absolute determination to protect the community I represent. I have spoken out against many insensitive developments in Norton over the past couple of years, including housing proposals in Langton Road, Commercial Street and Lakeside Way and I will continue to do so in the future.

Our planning system has been designed to ensure that development is situated in the right location and in the long-term interests of the community. Mr Potter should look at our hugely successful campaign as a model of how to oppose damaging planning applications, instead of looking at it in envy.

Our lesson is to work within the system, not against it, and to object on material planning grounds with firm evidence.

It is disappointing that having spent many, many hours campaigning over a period of more than two years, I have to now endure a defamation of my character. But despite this setback, I will continue my endeavour to be a strong voice for Norton. As I’ve said before, you’re dammed if you do, you’re dammed if you don’t.

Councillor Luke Ives, Norton West Ward

 

Frack Free group is not led by us

I AM writing in response to the FORGE advertisement in last week’s Gazette & Herald. I am amazed this pro-fracking group continues to claim that Frack Free Ryedale is “led by Londoners” and so, presumably, not to be trusted.

We assume this is a reference to my husband Chris and myself, as we are FFR members and live in London, and have been the subject of a sustained campaign of personal attacks by FORGE on social media and online news comment pages.

However, Frack Free Ryedale is not “led by us”, but is run by a steering group of more than 60 local people drawn from our 10 local groups, who meet regularly to discuss overall strategy and policy. This steering group includes local people from all walks of life, including doctors, scientists, landowners, business people and the clergy.

My husband and I help with the communications side of things, such as the website, Facebook, press releases, etc. Also, the vast majority of people actively involved in FFR in Ryedale live in the area, as anyone attending one of our local groups’ meetings or fundraising events will confirm – despite FORGE’s mendacious claims to the contrary.

Why are we involved in the fight against fracking in North Yorkshire? I grew up in Ryedale and my parents have lived here for 46 years, and my grandparents before that. So I am fighting to protect the land where I was raised and where my family and friends continue to live from the grave threat that fracking poses to the peaceful day-to-day life in Ryedale’s stunning countryside. If FORGE’s ubiquitous spokesperson Lorraine Allanson knew that the place where she spent her childhood, and where her parents still lived, was under serious threat, would she not also offer to help?

The advert by the aptly-named FORGE group is therefore simply a crude attempt to smear FFR’s excellent reputation within the local community by making it appear to be “run by outsiders”, and shows the paucity of the pro-frackers’ arguments.

Adela Redston, London and Gilling East

 

We are so grateful for carers' help

ON behalf of my wife Marion and myself, John Hurd, I would like to add our thanks to the comments of Bunny Hodgkin and Ken re the Community Response Team Ryedale in the Gazette & Herald, September 2.

Marion had an accident and fell backwards, cut her head in two places and fractured her pelvis resulting in a visit to Scarborough A&E, glued up her head wounds and sent her home with strong painkillers and some laxative powders and instructions to rest.

I had to get our own GP out, Dr Thiagarajan from Pickering practice, could not keep Marion awake, painkillers too strong, medication changed. Dr said you need help. He contacted the Response Team, they contacted us next morning, came to see us, results a carer every morning around 10am to help shower and dress Marion. Words cannot express how grateful I have been to the carers, the patience and kindness they have all shown to us both. Now after four weeks down to every other day for showering. I expect within the week we will manage on our own.

We, like Bunny and Ken, are in 80s, age doesn’t help but the carers could not do enough to make life easier for us.

We will always be grateful for what they have done for us.

John and Marion Hurd, Pickering, 

 

When will council switch off the light?

RYEDALE councillors don’t appear to worry about how they waste taxpayers’ money.

There has been a light on 24-7 at the bottom of Whitewall Hill, the top end of Welham Road, not just for weeks or months, but more than a year and no-one worries about this.

I do believe not one but several councillors live in Welham Road must have noticed it, or they go about with their eyes closed.

This is a fine example of how our councillors waste money.

R Holmes, Norton