Appeals lodged against battery farm plans near Gainsborough which were turned down

The plans for Willingham-by-Stow near Gainsborough and Reepham near Lincoln were turned down by planners over fire safety concerns and the rural locations.

Public hearings will be held on both applications where West Lindsey District Council will need to defend the decisions.

Battery farms – technically known as battery energy storage systems – store energy produced by solar panels and other renewable sources for when it’s needed.

If the decisions are overturned, the council could face paying costs to the developers.

The Willingham-by-Stow application would have placed 160 batteries in car-sized containers on land off Marton Lane.

Applicant SRV Power said the technology was vital in transitioning to renewable energy, and wouldn’t pose a fire risk or a visual blight.

The committee voted to reject it in February, with Coun Roger Patterson (Con) saying: “The storage containers look like they’ve come straight from Immingham docks.

“It won’t benefit West Lindsey in the slightest. We’re being used as a dumping ground, and it will stand out like a sore thumb.”

Coun Lynda Mullally (Lib Dem), who represents the area, said she’d had “overwhelming negative feedback” from residents.

No date has been set for the hearing yet.

The smaller application for Barfields Lane in Reepham would have given permission for 16 batteries.

A four-day hearing with the government’s Planning Inspectorate will take place in October.

Councillors were concerned with the location near a neighbouring oil plant and how safe the new technology was.

Coun Tom Smith (Con) said: “There are far too many ‘what ifs’ and unanswered questions. I’m not confident where this is placed.

“The risks could be monumental, and a fire in this location could move very quickly.”

Coun John Barrett (Con) said the location was “totally wrong” and “the health and safety of the public should come first”.