Time Has Run Out to Drill for Oil in Village as the Bitter Saga Continues

Time has run out to drill for oil in village as the bitter saga continues

Planning permission at the scene of bitter anti-fracking protests in Balcombe, West Sussex has run out

Balcombe permission lapses – county council

Planning consent at the controversial Balcombe oil site in West Sussex has lapsed, officials confirmed today. Opponents of oil operations outside the Balcombe site in 2013, where the then operator, Cuadrilla, drilled a new well. Photo: Used with the owner’s consent The site operator had been required to start testing a well drilled more than 10 years ago by last Friday (13 February 2026). It also had to give notice of the work to West Sussex Co…