Uk Oil & Gas Regulatory News (UKOG)

UK Oil & Gas PLC

("UKOG" or the "Company")

High Court upholds Loxley planning consent

UK Oil & Gas PLC (London AIM: UKOG) is pleased to announce that by order of the Honourable Mrs Justice Lang DBE, the High Court has rejected legal challenges by Protect Dunsfold and Waverley Borough Council against the Secretary of State's decision to grant planning permission for Loxley, the  conventional gas and hydrogen feedstock project in Surrey. Loxley planning consent therefore remains in full force and the Company's plans to implement the project remain unchanged.

Mrs Justice Lang considered both challenges as "unarguable" and ordered Waverley and Protect Dunsfold to pay costs of £8,835 and £3,000 respectively.

This follows the decision in June of this year by the Right Hon Stuart Andrew MP, Minister for Housing acting for the Secretary of State ("SoS") for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to overturn Surrey County Council's ("SCC") refusal of planning consent.  

UKOG has consistently stated that Loxley can play its part in the government's Hydrogen and British Energy Security Strategies via the supply of its gas as feedstock for reformation into clean burning hydrogen.

It is the Company's and its legal counsel's view that, whilst further challenges by either claimant are to be expected, the emphatic rulings of both the SoS and Justice Lang make the likelihood of their success highly doubtful. In any case, the Company will continue to rigorously defend its position in any subsequent action as and when it may occur.

Stephen Sanderson, UKOG Chief Executive, commented:

"We welcome this further emphatic legal decision upholding planning consent for the Company's material conventional gas and hydrogen feedstock project in Surrey. Whilst we fully accept the right to review such material decisions, it cannot be fair or just that opponents to the decision are given so many opportunities to make the same argument repeatedly and seemingly regardless of prior dismissals. We therefore urge the government to swiftly implement its proposed changes to the planning system for key infrastructure projects if it is serious about delivering energy self-sufficiency and associated meaningful economic growth."

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This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the UK version of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended ("MAR"). Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.