A DATE has been announced for a High Court hearing into North Yorkshire County Council’s decision to allow fracking in the county.

Third Energy were granted permission by North Yorkshire County Council to allow shale gas extraction at Kirby Misperton near Pickering in May this year.

Frack Free Ryedale and Friends of the Earth have successfully applied for a judicial review of the council decision in the High Court in London. Now it has been announced the hearing will take place on November 22 and 23.

The case will be heard at a ‘rolled up hearing’ when the judge will decide whether the county council properly took into account the likely impact on climate change. The claim also concerns the council's financial protection against the long-term environmental damage of the fracking.

David Davis from Frack Free Ryedale said: “We are pleased to have a date for the Judicial Review into the application to frack at Kirby Misperton and look forward to having our views represented in court.

“The North Yorkshire County Council decision to pass the application totally ignored the weight of local opposition and the views of the community, with over 4,000 letters of opposition and just a handful in favour.

“We believe that their decision was unlawful."

Simon Bowens, Friends of the Earth’s Yorkshire and Humber campaigner, said: “We're now preparing for, and looking forward to, our day in court."

North Yorkshire County Council maintains its planning committee gave “proper regard” to all material planning considerations before approving the application by Third Energy.

Third Energy has said it has been drilling and producing gas “safely and discreetly” in North Yorkshire for more than two decades and will continue to do the same in the future.