Fire safety and traffic concerns dominate response to plan for 100MW battery system near Shrewsbury
Residents have objected to plans for a 100MW battery energy storage system planned for a field next to a key part of Shropshire’s road and rail network.
The plan for rural Uffington in the shadow of Haughmond Hill has sparked concerns about fire safety, an increase in traffic and a potential hit to property values.
A meeting called in Uffington last week saw the parish council narrowly survive a vote of no confidence after some accused it of not doing enough to oppose the scheme next to the Preston Island junction of the A49 and A5.
The site is also next to a National Grid electricity substation, the course of the Shrewsbury & Newport Canal, and a railway line between Shrewsbury and Wellington.
There has also been another application for a similar facility in nearby Upton Magna, close to the A5 east of Shrewsbury.
Uffington resident Rob Story said: “It would be like living next to a massive battery and if it caught fire there would be toxic gases and they would have to evacuate the village.
“There is only one access road to the site which would be a problem for the fire service.
“It could see a total of £700,000 knocked off the value of mine and my neighbours’ homes.
“The planners can’t consider loss of property values but I believe it is a human rights issue around enjoyment of my home.”
Mr Story has lived in Uffington for 37 years and believes the scheme would also mean lorries having to access the site by using narrow country lanes.
Council highways chiefs say that once fully operational it “would be unlikely to significantly adversely impact on the surrounding highway network, with one to two maintenance visits per month”.
Council officials say that at “peak construction there would be up to four two-way HGV movements per day falling to 1-2 HGVs every other day”.
They have proposed changes to the layout of junctions and visibility splays.
The plan for the system, which could power more than 26,666 typical local homes for a day, has been put forward by Lower 48 Energy BESS Ltd. The company is majority owned by global energy commodity merchant Castleton Commodities International LLC, planners have been told.
Planning agent at Berrys of Shrewsbury has told Shropshire Council that the 3.12-hectare site is currently down to pasture.
A grid connection has already been secured for the site which will store excess energy produced by renewable power systems.
“Battery storage technologies are essential to speeding up the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy,” say the agents.
“Battery storage systems will play an increasingly pivotal role between green energy supplies and responding to electricity demands.”
The agents say they held a day-long event in Uffington on December 4 last year with five members of the project team speaking to six people who attended.
“This was a smaller number than had been anticipated but it did ensure we could give adequate attention to those who attended,” the agent wrote.
“Strong support for battery storage and for renewable energy in principle was expressed at the exhibition. Half of those attending stated their support for the proposal.”
But of respondents to the official Shropshire Council consultation, 22 opposed it and none supported it.
Residents and parish councils for Uffington and Upton Magna have made points about increased traffic on narrow lanes.
Councillor Brendan Mallon wrote: “Road and rail traffic would be threatened by both debris from any explosive event as well as the smoke and heavy metal plume, with an added high risk of collision and gridlock around this crucial junction.
“While the resultant backing up of traffic would be less likely to slow the response of Shrewsbury fire appliances, it would absolutely hinder follow-up units arriving to assist from Wellington, Telford and Bridgnorth, which would have to pick their way around slow back roads to reach the site.”
The applicants say that they have considered advice from fire chiefs.
And the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has told planners that “even though there are relatively few recorded fire incidents involving battery energy storage systems, when affected by fire, they pose a significant environmental and safety hazard”.
“Further measures may be required to mitigate the risk of fire and the risk posed to the environment in the event of a fire.”
The plan has entered a period of public consultation on the Shropshire Council planning website with the reference 25/00531/FUL.
