Agenda item

Major Full: Development of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and

Associated Infrastructure.

Mr Adam Birkett Chief Planning and Transportation Officer presented the report to the committee. The application detailed a development of a 60MW Battery Energy storage system (BESS) to provide an energy balancing service to the National Grid.

The application site is a 2.05ha parcel of agricultural land and woodland south of Stanhill Road and west of the M65 Motorway.

The proposal was amended on the 17^th of March with a new point of access further away from the motorway.

The compound would have 2 rows of battery clusters and transformers accessed by 2 internal tracks with 2 gates from the access road to the site. There would be one switch room at the end of a battery cluster row. The substation compound would lie to the south of the battery clusters while the remainder of the site would contain a SuDs pond and landscaping.

The operational period is 40 years from the date of energisation. A prior construction period is estimated at between 12 and 14 months. Plus a yet undescribed restoration period on decommission.

38 letters of objection had been received as well as 1 letter of support. A further 24 letters had been received after the agenda was published but the majority of these letters are duplications and no new points raised.

Objections have also been received by Lancashire Wildlife Trust and CPRE Lancashire.

No objections were given by the Local Flood Authority, Lancashire County Council Archaeology, Lancashire County Council Highways, National Highways, United Utilities and Hyndburn Borough Council Environmental Health Team.

Consultation with Lancashire Fire and Rescue highlighted areas of guidance regarding fire safety which the applicant should engage with a competent person to implement. Similarly Hyndburn Borough Councils Ecology Department suggested a list of conditions in the report.

The application was recommended for approval subject to conditions laid out in the report.

Mr Birkett informed the committee that significant weight is being given to technologies and developments which look to reduce our greenhouse gas production and that meeting net zero is a priority across the country.

Mr Birkett also highlighted the lack of other available sites which meet the requirements of a BESS.

Members agreed that BESS systems generally contribute positively to the climate and that they are not opposed to these types of installations being present in Hyndburn. However the location of the proposed site was a concern due to its vicinity to the Brookside Project. Members also highlighted concerns over fire safety and previous examples of fires at these sites.

Concerns were also raised regarding the proposed developments appearance in a rural location and it location in the Green Belt.

Resolved – Members voted against officer recommendations and refused the planning application with authority delegated to the Chief Planning and Transportation Officer to draft an appropriate reason for refusal for the following reason:

1)    Impact of the development on the Green Belt.

N.B. –  1. Andy Barnes – Spoke against the application.

·         Chair of Stan Hill Village Community Association.

·         Agreed in a village meeting on the 16^th of October 2024 that the development would pose a threat to people and the land.

·         The plan proposes significant physical infrastructure and the landscape assessment doesn’t truly showcase what the land will look like once the development is complete.

·         Significantly impacts the ongoing Brookside Project which looks to increase bio diversity in the area and capture carbon in its plans.

·         No formal consultation has been conducted as to the BESS’s impact on the Brookside project.

·         A fire at the site could cause thermal runaway and be difficult to stop considering the landscape. The local community are unaware of these risks should the application be approved.

2. Colin Drury – Spoke against the application.

·         Local resident of 20 years.

·         Urges councillors to protect the local green belt and set a precedent for future applications of this nature.

·         The local community have not been considered in the council’s measure of location suitability.

·         No local benefits to having a BESS in this location, one is already present at Whiteberk roundabout.

3. Councillor Zak Khan – Spoke against the application.

·         Councillors have a responsibility to make decisions which benefit the people of Hyndburn. The BESS system wild not directly impact the people of Hyndburn but the green spaces and protected green belt does.

·         Residents move and stay here for the green spaces.

·         Brookside project and those like it protect the greenbelt and this application would undermine the aims of this project.

4. Louise Layland – Spoke in support of the application.

·         BESS systems store energy for times of high demand, this reduces dependency in the grid during peak times and reduces price hikes.

·         The proposed site is common for this type of development with similar applications being seen across the country.

·         The site as it stands has existing pylons which add an industrial aspect to the site. The proposed development intends to disguise its location through landscaping and strategic placement.

·         The ultimate threat to nature is climate change and BESS systems aim to reduce this and help meet clean power goals by 2030.