West Sussex County Council’s planning committee rejected the application by Celtique Energy to for a three year licence drill at the Wisborough Green site to test for the presence of commercial oil or gas reserves.
Councillors refused it on the grounds that the applicant had not demonstrated the site represented the best option compared to other sites, has unsafe highways access, and that it would have had an adverse impact on Wisborough Green as a conservation area.
In a statement, Celtique Energie criticised West Sussex County Council for not following “the spirit or the letter of government policy” in dealing with the application that was “compliant, comprehensive and of high quality”.
It added it was considering its options, but that it thought he planning application would “stand up to further scrutiny by the Planning Inspectorate or the secretary of state in the event of an appeal”.
Councillor Heidi Brunsdon, chairman of West Sussex County Council’s planning committee said: “There were simply too many highways issues and other issues of concern for any decision other than refusal in this instance.”
Reacting to the decision, Greenpeace UK energy campaigner Simon Clydesdale said: “The shale industry’s clumsy attempt to impose fracking on Sussex has fallen at the first hurdle.
“Save for Celtique, this is fantastic news for everyone in the area and should bring hope to other communities resisting the industrialisation of their local countryside.”