Michael Gove has blocked drilling of a controversial exploratory oil well in the south of England, causing campaigners to celebrate but sparking an angry response from one of the firms involved.
Concerns over the impact on ancient woodland led the environment secretary to decide against renewing the lease at the site near Holmwood in the Surrey Hills, which is on Forestry Commission land.
Europa Oil and Gas, the firm behind the project, said it would withdraw its planning application but would explore alternative sites to exploit the oil licence it holds for the area.
The site at Bury Hill Wood has seen some of the fiercest opposition against a new rush for hydrocarbons in the south of England, including a protest camp that was evicted last year.
Opponents said drilling was inappropriate in an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) and put water supplies at risk.
Gove’s decision appears to run counter to a renewed push by the business and communities departments to increase onshore oil and gas production to offset declining North Sea output.
However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs stressed that decisions were made on a case-by-case basis focusing on environmental impacts.
A Defra spokesperson said: “The nation’s woods and forests are cherished natural assets and we want to ensure they are protected now and into the future.”
Campaigners were jubilant. Brenda Pollack, south-east campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said the rejection was “a significant victory”.
Lucy Barford, of the local group A Voice for Leith Hill, said she was overjoyed, but cautioned: “There will be other battles ahead, oil drilling is still planned for other sites across the Weald [the region between the South and North Downs].”
Keith Taylor, the Green party MEP for the south-east, who has attended protests at Holmwood, said: “There is no place in our precious Surrey Hills AONB for environment and climate-destructive oil drilling.”
Europa said it was disappointed. Mark Abbott, managing director of Egdon Resources, one of four partners in the project, said: “The minister’s decision is highly frustrating.”
