Council to pay out ‘five figure costs’ over rejected battery farm near Gainsborough
A Lincolnshire council is expecting to pay a five-figure sum after its decision to reject a battery farm was overturned.
The application for a village near Gainsborough was rejected by West Lindsey District Council in February, with planners questioning why it was in the middle of the countryside.
However the Planning Inspectorate overturned the decision last month, saying it didn’t breach planning policies and the council had acted “unreasonably”.
The authority will need to pay the full costs of the appeal, which are expected to be over £10,000.
FRV Powertek now has permission to place 160 battery containers – each around the size of a car – on land off Marton Lane, Willingham-by-Stow.
The batteries would be used to store surplus electricity – mainly from renewable sources like solar – and release it to the National Grid when it’s needed.
Developers had also appealed the refusal of a separate battery farm application for Reepham near Lincoln, but this has been withdrawn.
Members of West Lindsey District Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee said that more regulations were needed for future battery farms applications.
Conservative Councillor Peter Morris said: “I’m shocked to hear that the costs will be in five figures.”
“It worries me that it might intimidate the planning committee in future.”
Russell Clarkson, the council’s Development Management Team Manager, said “The costs are up to the Planning Inspectorate when it feels we’ve acted unreasonably.
“The Inspectorate’s view was that we went above and beyond what our own policies say, and we need to be mindful of that going forward.
“It shouldn’t intimidate the planning committee, but it’s certainly a lesson learned.”
He added that the council was currently settling the costs with the company.
Reform Councillor Trevor Bridgewood raised concerns about the safety of battery farms (technically known as Battery Energy Storage Systems or BESSs.)
“Why do we want to bring in this technology which we know isn’t safe with so little regulation?
“It is a disaster waiting to happen – and I would hate to see it happen in West Lindsey.”
The committee is hoping to bring in stricter requirements for battery farm applications, including consulting with Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue.
It will also create a ‘renewables register’ so the public can track renewable energy projects around the district.
Four major solar farms have been approved by the government in West Lindsey, which all include battery farms.
There is around 5GW of battery storage nationally in the UK, but the government is hoping to increase this fourhold to 23GW by 2030.