Isle of Wight Council's planning officers are recommending a controversial temporary application for an oil well at Arreton be given conditional permission, for a period of three years. 

The matter will be considered by the Isle of Wight Council's planning councillors, when they meet on October 19.

They must decide whether or not to agree with their officers and, after having received specialist training on oil well applications, must justify going against that recommendation, or risk a costly appeal. 

When the planning committee meets, County Hall will consider giving licensee UK Oil and Gas PLC (UKOG) permission to construct and operate a well site, for the 'exploration and appraisal of hydrocarbon minerals'.

Isle of Wight County Press:

The plan requests two exploratory boreholes - a main borehole and a side-track - with the site returned to its original condition afterwards.

However, the exploration aims to see if a full-scale operation to extract fossil fuels at the rural greenfield location would be commercially viable - and those against the plans say that could take 25 years, subject to further planning permission.

Final plans were submitted to the Isle of Wight Council earlier this year, with some updates to access and rights of way, site layout, sections and its potential impact on the environment.

More than 1000 comments were lodged with the local authority about the scheme.

The Arreton site lies west of the village, on privately-owned agricultural land.

The plan also calls for associated machinery and equipment, the construction of a new access track, a new boundary fence and entrance gates and an access route, off the busy Newport to Sandown road.