ANGRY Urmston residents are opposing Trafford Council’s plans to consider a coal bed methane extraction site underneath the proposed Barton Renewable Energy Plant site in Davyhulme.

The Breathe Clean Air Group (BCAG) is campaigning for a cleaner atmosphere in Urmston and the surrounding area and is vehemently against both the proposed coal bed methane extraction and energy plant.

Planning permission for the extraction could be regranted by Trafford Council’s Planning Committee after plans were put on hold having initially been approved in September 2010.

“The residents of Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme face the biggest challenge to the air they breathe since the 1950’s,” said BCAG chairman Pete Kilvert.

“Not only do we face the possibility of the Davyhulme biomass waste incinerator and the certainty of the M60 exceeding air quality safety limits with traffic fumes, but we now face the risk of air pollution from other local industrial processes.

“We are most concerned about the deterioration of air quality standards and the effects it will have on all of us, especially our children.”

The proposed site would be next to the M60 at Barton high level bridge and would see a temporary 34m high drilling rig and two exploratory boreholes dug.

But executive councillor for economic growth and prosperity, Michael Hyman, has moved to reassure residents the proposals do not include anything resembling fracking, such as that undertaken near Blackpool.

“I would like to reassure residents the planning application does not contain any proposals around fracking whatsoever,” he said.

“Indeed, the application for exploration and potential extraction of coal bed methane does not permit shale gas extraction nor does it allow fracking techniques to be used.

“Trafford Council, working with the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency will assess the development to ensure that there will not be any significant impact on the local community in terms of both pollution or wider environmental factors.”