George Bingham, who inherited his title in 2016, is executive director of Angus Energy, which holds a 25 per cent stake in “the Balcombe Discovery”, an oil site in the Weald Basin.
A bid to conduct a well test on the site was unanimously rejected by councillors on the West Sussex planning committee in 2021.
But Lord Lucan has now won a last-minute appeal submitted in February 2022 in which Angus Energy argued that the site would boost the UK’s domestic energy supply, citing the war in Ukraine.
However, the company is likely to face a further challenge in the High Court after significant local opposition to drilling at the site, which sits within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
‘Decision makes a mockery of the climate crisis’
“This extraordinary decision defies belief. It makes a mockery of the climate crisis. And, after more than 800 people objected to the proposal, it also shows contempt for local democracy,” said Paul Miner, acting director of campaigns and policy at CPRE, the countryside charity.
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