BUSINESS DESK magazine has drilled down through Peel Group’s filed accounts and extracted some interesting data. They’ve discovered the massive property holder is keen on realising the potential of shale gas - aka fracking.
Some reports state that the North West has enough shale gas to make the country gas self-sufficient for at least a decade.
Peel Group owns the estate of Manchester Ship Canal (main picture shows the High Line Bridge at Irlam over the canal) and thus controls a huge swathe of land in the North West of England - 33,000 acres. It was probably only a matter of time before we learnt of their interest in fracking. After all there’s money in them there drills.
Apparently Peel have signed agreements with exploration firm IGas to see what lies beneath. Business Desk discovered that the ‘two companies have been working together since 2010 and Peel has leased five drilling sites to the energy company’.
Elsewhere in the North West Peel Group developed the Trafford Centre (now called the Intu Trafford Centre) and still have a large minority holding there. They also own MediaCityUK, the Lowry Outlet Mall and again, have a minority shareholding in Liverpool Airport.
Curiously another part of their portfolio is Scout Moor Wind Farm above Rochdale. Clearly Peel don't have a problem with combining renewable energy investments with fossil fuel investments.
Some reports state that the North West has enough shale gas to make the country gas self-sufficient for at least a decade.
Despite the vocal nature of the Barton Moss protesters and their magnetic attraction for news gatherers, a recent poll revealed more people support fracking than oppose it.
In December 2013 a BBC North West Tonight survey found of 1,941 people, 44% of those who knew about fracking supported it, while 34% were against. More than 500 people in the poll had no idea what fracking was and just thought the pollsters were swearing at them.
