Oil drilling on Leith Hill

@dragon I’m presuming you’re being partially humorous there (fair enough!) but I was told the only heli big enough for this rig is in Norway and super expensive to hire. Plus there are all the HGVs of hardcore for the pad.

@mattjg

what rig is being mobilized?

BDF 28.

http://www.bdf.co.uk/gallery.php?g=09-Rig%2018%20-%20Wirth%20L4

baby rig.

28 not 18 I believe trail_rat.

yeah their websites shite but the ideco BIR5625 you just have to click on it – even with it open you cant link to it direct.

its a small rig.

well I’m sure that’s relative to what else you work on.

it looks pretty big to me!

35 metres high?

It’s been in beautiful Stallingborough recently, ruining the local’s views of nearby Immingham.

Edit: Imgur linkys not working, I’ll try again from Photobucket

Coming at this from a different perspective – do people realise that this is going to destroy the jumps area that Nirvana cycles (and others) use?

There’s some fantastic drops and jumps lines in there, will be such a shame 🙁

( ^ Just trying to lighten the mood )

yeah I told Nirvana it’s near Heads Roll.

thx @mlc. baby rig lol.

@midlifecrashes – the campaign are looking for good rig pictures, would like to use yours please. Please see your email.

Another bike perspective – the drill site or rough area (I believe is right?), on a Strava heat map. Just showing the bike activity in the area. Noting this site is just the first in the area. Note also the large amount of bike traffic along the lane.

infact this site is purely for the exploration and currently not proposed to have a nodding Donkey at a

This is the swerve, the word currently. When they applied for planning for the M3 near Winchester it was to go in a tunnel under Twyford Down, by time it was built they just cut a huge scar in it. It’s well used tactic to start with one proposal and end up somewhere else, opposition tends to fade as people focus on their daily lives.

Thanks for the links, will research further

@deadkenny that’s the site. the heat patch at the northern end would be Heads Roll.the umbilical going west would be Bury Hill Woods DH.

I’m pretty sure the drill site ie the physical pad location is in the inside of the SW loop.

http://www.bdf.co.uk/gallery.php?g=09-Rig%2018%20-%20Wirth%20L4
baby rig.

a baby rig with a red light on the top to warn aircraft. 😉

@mattjg is it now your intention to troll those who know about oil drilling to try and promote your cause? I would suggest that would be foolish.

Should we start each post with and Aye or a Nope if you have any experience of drilling operations?

It is a baby rig with a red light on the top to warn aircraft which it must have by law much like the electricity pylons it would appear to be approximately the same height as. However unlike a pylon it is only going to be there for a short period of time.

Nope.

But I guess I may soon, at least as an observer.

It’s gentle humour Rusty, at applying adjective “baby” to something 33 metres tall. (32.93 if we’re being pedantic, according to the BDF site, though presumably the light is extra).

–whatevs let it go–

They are using a tower crane like this on a new housing estate in my village at the moment. That’s been there longer than 18 weeks now, itll be gone soon but we will be left with 40 crap looking houses.

This one is 34.2m apparently

that’s a bit crap Stato. didn’t you object? is it in an AONB?

.well given that it’s a very small drilling rig/mid sized completion work over rig what adjective would you use ?

Perhaps you could suggest that bdf look into green energy.

The pics aren’t mine, I’ve shamelessly lifted them from the facebook page of the protestors at the site last year:

facebook.com/Battleformauxhallfarm

Thanks @mlc, is that local to you and if so how far and how do you find it as a neighbour? Interested in your experiences.

Perhaps you could suggest that bdf look into green energy.

Are you suggesting a huge windmill instead?

The 1% rise in barrel price today for March 17 might produce some good news for UK O&G?

Are you suggesting a huge windmill instead?

is that what green energy is – dont know much about it just seems to be a much touted response to oil drilling 😉

Huge windmill would require chopping down a lot more trees. Unless they slap it up by Leith tower (or stick it on top of it) and I’m sure that won’t go down well 😀

The site I’ve linked is miles away, maybe 45, we pass it on the way to the beach with the dog, every couple of months maybe. I’ve never given it a moment’s glance, though now the rig is gone and there is a chunky fence which was only put up to keep the protestors out. Although it was certainly a chunky bit of kit, Lincolnshire has tons of drilling going on all the time, more usually for water reasons or geology testing for building(windfarms), a lot of the land is reclaimed marsh in the Dutch style.

More locally, around the Beckingham/Trent Vale fields, I’ve lived in Doncaster more than 25 years, and those flat roads to the East make up a big part of my road riding. It really hasn’t been a big deal, certainly much less than the wind farms nearby, and massively less disruptive than generations of coal mines round here. A construction crew arrives a week or two ahead, widens gateways and stuff, puts any strengthened pad down, drill rig comes in for a few weeks, then a little compound gets left with either a capped well or a production site. These are close by major roads running over to the Trent wharfs and mills, and on Lincolnshire farmland where they use the bigger tractors and combines, so no access issues for HGVs round here.

A vertical axis turbine wouldn’t need that many trees chopping down.

Think there is a simple miss understanding here. From an oil industry perspective I am sure you are right and its a baby rig but for your average person like Matt it can hardly be perceived as a baby sized piece of equipment. The thought of natioanl grid electric pylons in the area, if thats the size you say it is just helps confirm why the site is Wrong.

Pictures of cranes on houseing developments have no relevance to this thread what so ever. Was the access down a hign banked narrow country road in a AONB in the green belt with traffic lights installed so the road can be shut for convoys of hgvs to go up it. Do any of the locals have to phone ahead to check its clear to leave their houses. Is the road used by hugh numbers of cyclists daily both roadies and mtbs who can access the road at many points not knowing if the traffic lights are red or green.

Do we really believe this is the only point where they can drill directly to all the layers they need and just happens to be on a pre hardened forest track. As pointed out, do we really believe it will just be a test site as once established it would seem very likely it will stay as pointed out by someone previously.

I agree there has been some very sensationalist reporting especially in those bike mag articles linked to.

I would say its very hard to convey thinhs on forums like this and it does seem people take offence too easily and often they are pretty ,uch saying the same thing

Anyway, i’m done on this thread now

ybot – Member

As pointed out, do we really believe it will just be a test site

That’s the plan, they’re going to drill, find out if there’s oil, and if there is they’ll post it in the “I was not aware of that” thread and move on.

Just in case anyone who’s onside missed it: midday Saturday, Leith Hill Tower, see you there.

See u there.. Will be on a fluro yellow stumpy

I’ll be there too…On a dull green Process!

I’ll be there.

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/hundreds-attend-oil-drilling-protest-12269181

thx DK.

BBC News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSx0K-nZX5w&feature=youtu.be

So, on the subject of fracking…

Was there yesterday (I’m in the “heart” photo somewhere 😀 ), and major part of the campaign is about fracking and signs all over saying “don’t frack Leith”. Yet as far as Europa are saying, it’s plain conventional oil drilling. Also I thought fracking was to do with shale gas, not oil?

Anyway, this argument came up on their protest FB group and the responses pile up with references to anti-fracking sites and general talk of “oh well, they say it’s conventional but really it’s fracking by the back door” etc.

The thing with that is I’d like to see the actual evidence behind this. Not conspiracy theories repeated all over that people take it as fact. Actual factual evidence.

Is there any?

Not that I’m for the drilling. As I say I turned up to support the protest, although for me it’s about the inappropriate location, damage to an AONB (and possibly in breach of rules supposedly protecting drilling in national parks and AONB), the impact on Coldharbour and the sunken lane, and the potential for wrecking trails/jumps.

I’m no hippie anti-oil type though. I drive a petrol car and use tonnes of things that use oil or are oil based. Though I do believe there’s way more than enough oil already extracted. Just that it’s in the hands of Arabs who artificially control the market. That’s not necessarily a reason to drill loads more oil wells.

The operator say it is conventional and Surrey council say BGS have not found any significant potential for fracking in Surrey. So any talk of fracking in Surrey seems at present pure fiction.