A British county council at the center of the evolving debate over hydraulic fracturing said it was reviewing legal advice before deciding on drilling permits.
Caudrilla Resources aims to target shale natural gas reserves in Lancashire County. The region's council said mid-June it recommended approval for a campaign with as many as four drilling sites and hydraulic fracturing. The recommendation was subject to restrictions ranging from hours of work to noise pollution.
A second application was recommended for refusal because of the potential for an increase in traffic on the rural highway network.
Members of the Lancashire County Council voted to defer a decision on that application until Monday in order to consider legal advice. The council said it would review the advice Thursday and consider the applications to explore for shale natural gas "by drilling, hydraulically fracking and testing the flow of gas, and for monitoring their operations."
Cuadrilla received federal permits to move forward in Lancashire from the British Environment Agency in February. The company estimates there may be as much as 200 trillion cubic feet of shale natural gas in Lancashire.
Liz Hutchins, a campaigner with advocacy group Friends of the Earth, said the council's deferral is evidence that Cuadrilla is unable to convince businesses and residents in Lancashire to accept what she said is a "dirty technology."
"There is clear evidence about the potential impacts of fracking on local people, their environment and on climate change," she said in a statement.
Critics of hydraulic fracturing worry about the potential for ground water contamination, possible emissions and the possibility of minor earthquakes tied to the drilling method.
The British government in 2012 enacted new restrictions on hydraulic fracturing, ending a moratorium enforced after minor tremors were reported near Lancashire drilling sites. In January, the British Geological Survey announced plans to conduct live monitoring of shale exploration in Lancashire.
