Plans to start fracking in Britain have suffered a setback after Lancashire county council planning officers recommended refusing two applications because of the level of noise and traffic.
Councillors will vote on the recommendations next week and it will be a significant blow to the government’s plans for shale gas development if they accept them.
The officers recommended that the council refuse applications by Cuadrilla to test for shale gas by drilling, and hydraulically fracturing wells at Preston New Road, near Little Plumpton, and Roseacre Wood, near Roseacre.
The applications are the first for fracking since Cuadrilla suspended use of the technique in 2011 after it triggered two minor earthquakes near Blackpool.
The officers said shale gas exploration was in principle “acceptable”, and the impacts