Scottish house prices to be hit by fracking

Reacting to research by the Ferret which shows Scottish house prices would be reduced if fracking is allowed, Dr Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:

“The UK Government had to admit it last year and now original Scottish research confirms it, your house price is going down if you live near a fracking operation. Even worse, we strongly suspect plans for fracking in Scotland would result in blighted communities, with planning permissions sitting unused for years and just the threat of future fracking damaging house prices and freezing development. The last thing anyone wants is to have a site next to their home where fracking may happen at some unspecified time in the future. This threat to local people and local economies is another good reason for the Scottish Government to decide that fracking has no place in Scotland.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. The Ferret investigation is here: https://theferret.scot/fracking-property-prices-scotland/
2. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs released a report last summer admitting that fracking could hurt house prices, and pose risks to health and the environment: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/01/fracking-could-hurt-h…
3. Friends of the Earth Scotland is:
* Scotland's leading environmental campaigning organisation
* An independent Scottish charity with a network of thousands of supporters and active local groups across Scotland
* Part of the largest grassroots environmental network in the world, uniting over 2 million supporters, 75 national member groups, and some 5,000 local activist groups.
www.foe-scotland.org.uk