The government have just announced that shale gas will be made a priority in the UK, telling councils to fast-track planning applications.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark has said that councils must rule on shale gas applications within the 16 week timeframe. If they do not, the government may take over the planning decisions, and may also reconsider some failed applications. Although ministers already had the power to intervene in council decisions on this matter, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has said it is likely to become more frequent.

In a statement, Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said:

“To ensure we get this industry up and running, we can’t have a planning system that sees applications dragged out for months or even years on end. We now need, above all else, a system that delivers timely planning decisions and works effectively for local people and developers.”

Environmentalists say it makes a ‘mockery’ of the government’s promise to give more power to the people.

The announcement could well be a response to Lancashire County Council’s recent rejection of Cuadrilla’s shale gas applications, after it took a year to decide.

The government’s announcement is seen as a response to Lancashire County Council’s recent rejection of Cuadrilla’s shale gas applications after more than a year of deliberations.

A spokesman told BBC News: “It would be very unfair to suggest that we didn’t go as fast as possible. This was the first decision in the UK on fracking so there was a lot of pressure on us to get it right.”