Energy storage facility will be built in Telford after government inspector overturns council ruling

In November 2024, London-based AMP Clean Energy had applied for permission to build a "micro-energy storage facility" on a small strip of land near the Hortonwood waste disposal site in Telford.

But the battery storage system, designed to store renewable energy to be released to the local supply at times of high demand, was thrown out by Telford & Wrekin Council planners due to aesthetic concerns.

Developers had picked out a 140 square metre site on an unused grass verge on Hortonwood industrial estate for the project, adding that the development's visual impact on the surrounding area was "not considered to be significant" due to the industrial nature of the site.

But council planners took a dim view of that approach when refusing the scheme in January, saying the proposal constituted a "cramped form of development within the highway verge" which "fails to respect or enhance the appearance of the area as a whole".

However following an appeal to the UK Government's Planning Inspectorate the development will now go ahead, after inspectors overruled the planners' original concerns surrounding the natural beauty of Hortonwood. 

In a decision issued this week, inspectors ruled that the "utilitarian" nature of the development would be in keeping with the industrial nature of the site, and also dismissed the council's secondary concerns over highways. 

"The proposed facility would have a simple, utilitarian appearance and would be viewed in the context of large industrial and commercial buildings," wrote Government planning inspector F Wilkinson in a written report.  

"The equipment would be enclosed by a paladin fence which would be similar in type and height to the fence that runs along the back of the highway verge in this location. The proposed development would therefore assimilate with the surrounding built form. 

"The proposal would be clearly visible in views along the road and from nearby pavements. However, for the reasons given, it would not appear as a dominant or incongruous feature, nor would it unacceptably add street clutter."

A secondary reason for refusal, concerns around the future use of the highway on Hortonwood 60, was also given short shrift by the inspector, who said that the council had provided "no substantive evidence" that the scheme would create a problem for the road network in the area.

The appeal was granted on Monday (July 7). Construction is expected to take approximately four weeks.