Petition · past parliament
Refuse any new permission to extract oil and gas from the Wessex Basin, Dorset.
Closed
2,125 signatures
What the petition asks
Scientific research, highlighted by the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, proves we must dramatically reduce our carbon emissions. To extract oil from new sites risks a spill which would destroy the local tourist economy and the protected ecology within the bay.
In 2018, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy approved licence P1918 for exploratory drilling into the Colter prospect in the Wessex Basin. The site lies between Bournemouth beach and England's only natural World Heritage Site. Permission will now be sought to extract oil, either by further vertical offshore drilling, or horizontal extended reach drilling.
The site is on the edge of a Marine Conservation Zone, home to protected seahorses, which it is an offence to disturb.
The site is on the edge of a Marine Conservation Zone, home to protected seahorses, which it is an offence to disturb.
Timeline
| 12 Mar 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 12 Sep 2019 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
2,125
Status
Closed
Opened
12 Mar 2019
Closed
12 Sep 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.