I am asking that the proposed planning application for the oil exploration in Arreton be put on hold.

My reasons are as follows:

There are over 700 comments on the IW Council website. Many are objecting to this planning application. There are some 60 comments in support of the application.

Having been up all night reading these comments in support, I suspect most are from either employees of UKOG or their shareholders.

The same statements appear time after time, with the same wording as though they have been cut and pasted' into the comments box. It is my opinion that these comments should, therefore be discounted.

Having also read Jonathan Bacon's comments regarding the Isle of Wight's recently gained UNESCO Biosphere status , it is apparent that due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, that all the relevant paperwork has not yet been put in place to make this 100 per cent official.

This planning application has also been submitted whilst the IW Council planning offices are closed, hampering the ability of the public or indeed any town or parish councils, to view the plans in detail as they would normally have been able to.

I understand there is also a judicial review to be held against Surrey County Council for its decision to approve the planning application submitted by UK Oil and Gas.

The last date for comments on the UKOG Isle of Wight planning application, which will severely impact the Island, is today (Friday).

I would expect there would be hundreds more objections to this planning application if we were not in a Civid 19 pandemic and people were not just coming out of four months of lockdown.

This planning application should also be deferred until people have the proper, legal access to the planning documents they are entitled to see before any planning application is granted permission.