Appeal launched after council rejects giant Aylesbury Vale battery storage site

In December 2024, plans for an energy storage facility covering 33 hectares of fields in Granborough was rejected by councillors.

Now it has been confirmed that the company behind the major project has formally appealed the decision.

A representative of the Secretary of State will now review the planning application made by energy developer, Stratrea, which can be viewed online here.

When the plans were first made public in 2023, several residents objected to the plans, which would see 518 shipping containers housing batteries and 19 inverter buildings built in Buckinghamshire fields at Rookery Farm in Granborough.

It was argued during a four-hour meeting deciding the project’s fate last year, covered by the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service, that the plans would harm the landscape and its character.

Mid Buckinghamshire MP, Greg Smith, called the application “inappropriate and dangerous”. He has written to the Government urging the Secretary of State to uphold the council’s decision.

One of the concerns raised by residents was that building a storage site near to the East Claydon substation could cause a fire risk due to the number of batteries in close proximity to each other.

Stratrea claims the site is safe and points to meetings held with Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service proving its viability.

However, according to the BBC’s reporting, one resident went as far as to call the plans a ‘terrorist’s dream’.

Stratea’s facility would be operational for 40 years and would provide enough electricity to power 540,000 homes, according to the developer.

A key objection made by over 900 residents who opposed the plans was that the northern Buckinghamshire area has been subject to too many major construction projects. They referenced HS2 projects and new railway stations being constructed as part of the major East West Rail scheme.

In his open letter Mr Smith said the project would be a ‘significant visual intrusion’ to the rural Buckinghamshire area. He also said the narrow countryside roads were not built to withstand frequent HGV use, among other criticisms of the scheme.