The government is spending taxpayers’ money defending a decision to allow large-scale production of fossil fuels at nearby Horse Hill, close to Horley and Gatwick.
This is just 4 days after it’s tried to appear a world leader on climate action at the COP26 Climate Summit.
A legal challenge over permission for oil production at nearby Horse Hill near Horley, Gatwick will be heard in the Court of Appeal this Tuesday 16 November. The case concerns planning permission granted to Horse Hill Developments Ltd in 2019 to drill four oil wells and produce oil for 20 years – right up to the net zero deadline.
This will make the it the 2nd largest on-shore site in the UK.
If the development goes ahead, the oil wells at Horse Hill Could extract more than 3 million tonnes of oil over 20 years – the burning of which could produce more than 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
This places the UK’s claim to “lead the world in the fight against climate change” as insincere cheap rhetoric because the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has joined the case as an ‘interested party’ – on the side of the Council.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE: contribute to costs of their appeal by joining the Horse Hill online auction: https://app.galabid.com/horsehillappeal … complain to your MP via members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP … write to the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Michael Gove wo is also MP for Surrey Heath: michael.gove.mp@parliament.uk
