Permission to drill for shale oil and gas has been granted at a site close to North York Moors National Park.

The government has given strong backing for hydraulic fracturing - better known as fracking - which ministers claim could lead to better energy security for the UK and even bring money to far-flung, “desolate” parts of northern England.

However, fracking is an invasive and energy intensive means of extracting fossil fuels, which involves injecting water, sand and a chemical brew underground at high pressure to break up shale rock formations and release trapped natural gas. There are still serious concerns about its potential effects on public health and the environment.

North Yorkshire County Council granted permission for fracking in Kirby Misperton, near Ryedale on Monday, ten days after planners recommended Third Energy be allowed to drill. Though planners approved the development, there followed days of arguments at the County Hall in Northallerton, with local opponents citing environmental, public health and business cases for rejecting the plans (local attraction Flamingo Land publicly opposed the application over fears nearby fracking could harm the animals and put off tourists)./

Despite the vocal support of the government and a number of energy companies, the Kirby Misperton site is the first fracking approval to be granted in the UK in five years.

Reacting to the County Council’s decision, Ken Cronin of UKOOG, which represents the shale gas industry, said, "UKOOG welcomes the decision… which helps to dispel many of the misleading claims that have been made about this application, as well as the process of hydraulic fracturing more generally.”

Earlier he said, “This recommendation should not be seen by anyone as a surprise, considering the well at Kirby Misperton has already been approved by the council, Health and Safety Executive and an independent well examiner and subsequently drilled. The further application for the hydraulic fractures has also received approval by the Environment Agency with the issue of relevant Permits."

However, Simon Bowens, Yorkshire and Humber campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said, "This is an absolute travesty of a decision but the battle is very far from over. 7 out of 11 North Yorkshire county councillors voted to approve this fracking application in Ryedale, ignoring the objection of Ryedale District Council itself, as well as thousands of local residents and businesses.  

"Despite this decision, public support for fracking is plummeting as Wales, Scotland and countries across Europe have suspended it. The risks to people’s health and the environment are unacceptable and we will fight on.”

South East Green MEP Keith Taylor added, The decision overlooks the scientific consensus, ignores the objections of local residents, and disregards Britain’s long-term energy needs… The County Council has set an extremely worrying precedent. Councils in North Yorkshire will now find it more difficult to reject future fracking applications. This could result in hundreds of wells across Ryedale and the industrialisation of North Yorkshire’s precious countryside.

"The UK has enormous renewable energy potential – and, in my constituency, in the South East, we have seen evidence that people have the passion, willingness and know-how to create low-carbon, people-powered energy in spite of the Government’s onslaught. The best chance of limiting the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change is by leaving fossil fuels in the ground. Fracking is an environmentally reckless distraction from the work that must be done to build a sustainable future based on a low-carbon, democratic energy system.”

Last July, Defra was forced to publish in full a report on the impacts of fracking, which was heavily redacted on its first publication. The report revealed that, though payment from shale gas companies could benefit local services, environmental concerns, including impacts on water quality near fracking sites have been in evidence in the United States where fracking first took off and locals could be hit by drops in house prices and rising insurance costs. Local farmers could also suffer if nearby wells contaminate agriculture operations and wildlife, the report found.

The North Yorkshire site is already in use for natural gas extraction, and only the method of extraction is set to change, meaning the fracking development is unlikely to create many more jobs.