Meeting set to discuss fracking lorry routes

Lancashire County Council has deferred a decision on Cuadrilla’s applications to drill at Preston New Road, Little Plumpton, and at Roseacre Wood near Elswick.

Cuadrilla was asked to come up with a one-way lorry route to Roseacre – sending inbound HGVs through country lanes to Roseacre via a left turn at Broughton crossroads.

Consultation documents prepared by Arup on behalf of Cuadrilla have been lodged with the county council.

Now Woodplumpton Parish Council has called a public meeting to gauge local feeling on the new plans.

It will be held on April 15 at 7pm in Woodplumpton Primary School.

A spokeswoman for the parish council said the council wanted to form its response to the applications.

She added: “The meeting is primarly about the route, and not about the principle of fracking.”

Experts working on behalf of Cuadrilla are confident they can overcome possible problems for HGVs at the Broughton crossroads.

Some objectors have already raised fears about the tight turn that Cuadrilla lorries may have to make if the county council grants planning permission for them to commence fracking.

A date has not yet been fixed for the applications to be heard.

Arup points out that the county council says that 36 HGVs per day already make the manoeuvre at Broughton crossroads.

Arup says: “Analysis has been undertaken that indicates that HGVs would cross the opposing stop line on Woodplumpton Lane. Moving the stop line on Woodplumpton Lane further back by up to 10m will help to resolve this issue.”

Arup added that average HGV movements would be as little as five per day.

It added: “Overall therefore, it is not considered that the increase in HGVs at this location would exacerbate congestion at the junction.”

Consultation on the new plans runs until April 17. Cuadrilla says it maintains its original plans for a two-way traffic flow is acceptable.