(MENAFN- ProactiveInvestors)Britain's nascent shale gas industry has been dealt a blow by a planning committee in Lancashire which has now refused an application for fracking at a second site. Councillors at Preston county hall voted ten to four against the application which had previously been recommended for approval by a senior planning officer. The decision appears to go against legal advice given to Lancashire county council last week which suggested a refusal would likely be turned over through appeal. The applicant Cuadrilla a privately owned UK shale firm said it was 'surprised and disappointed' by the council's decision. 'We remain committed to the responsible exploration of the huge quantity of natural gas locked up in the shale rock deep underneath Lancashire' the company said in a statement. 'We will now take time to consider our options regarding an appeal for Preston New Road along with also considering appeals for the planning applications recently turned down against Officer advice for monitoring and site restoration at Grange Hill and last week's decision to refuse the Roseacre Wood application.' Cuadrilla applied a year ago for permission to drill and frack up to four wells at two sites (Little Plumpton and Roseacre Wood) near Blackpool. It says the applications incorporated the most comprehensive environmental impact assessments of its kind. The assessment included work from independent environmental scientists and engineering specialists and according to Cuadrilla it demonstrated 'beyond question' that the proposed operations can be conducted safely and without damage to people's health or their environment. 'It is regrettable that the County Council has decided not to support this application in the face of positive recommendation from all regulators and their own officers.' Greenpeace meanwhile has described the council's decision as 'a Waterloo' for the fracking industry. "Cuadrilla's defeat should trigger a reality-check from a government that has staked so much of Britain's energy future on this controversial industry' the environmental group said in a statement.
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