UK Oil & Gas plc (UKOG) said that the secretary of state had recovered the company’s appeal against Surrey County Council’s refusal to allow the Loxley gas appraisal drilling project.
ISSUES
The company added that the planning inspectorate had informed UKOG of the move.
Michael Gove, in charge of the department for levelling up, housing and communities, will determine the appeal utilising the planning inspector’s report and recommendation.
In a statement today, UKOG added: “Whilst the company had expected a decision from the planning inspectorate in the first quarter of this year, the recovery by the SoS [secretary of state] may lengthen the time to an appeal decision.”
The company said it hoped that Mr Gove would consider issues such as the UK’s gas supply and record high gas prices, increasing import dependency, gas price volatility and decreasing security of supply, the country’s net zero targets and the carbon footprint gas imports.