Decision imminent on unpopular battery storage farm application in Aylesbury Vale

On Thursday (20 December), a final decision will be made on plans to construct a major battery storage site in Granborough.

Residents and local councillors opposed initial plans to construct a storage site in Rookery Farm that would include 888 shipping containers.

Now, new plans consisting of 518 battery containers and 19 inverter buildings are due to be debated at a council meeting. Each container would be 12 metres long, 2.4 metres wide and 2.9 metres high, typically spaced three metres apart. Each inverter building would be designed to have the characteristics of a small agricultural building, approximately 24 metres long, 9.5 metres wide and four metres high. Water tanks and control rooms would also be built on the farmland as part of the renewable energy development.

Bucks Council says the application is approved subject to confirmation from Nature Space regarding whether the project will be detrimental to protected species.

Three councillors called in the plans for further scrutiny citing the strong local opposition to the plans and objections from East Claydon and Granborough Parish Councils.

Since the planning application for the larger scale project was submitted on the council’s portal last December, nearly 900 objections have been raised. Parish councils in the vicinity of the farming site remain wholly against the plans.

Statera says its battery storage systems are efficient and reliable and wants to connect the it to the National Grid by 2027. According to the renewable energy company, the service would use electricity from the grid to be imported and stored at times of low demand or high generation, so it could be used at times of higher demand.

Statera says it is aiming to decarbonise the electricity system and help the UK reach its carbon reduction goals.

Complaints from the Claydons Solar Action Group included the scale of the project, which it said would be one of the biggest in the world. Its close proximity to a major solar development, which is being proposed in northern Buckinghamshire is another reason for objections.

Residents have referenced how villages in northern Buckinghamshire have also been subject to disruption from major construction projects in recent years, with the East West Rail and HS2 lorries operating currently. It is argued by the action group that the project would cause further traffic problems within the area.

The application site extends to approximately 33 hectares, meaning it would be considerably bigger than 33 football pitches.

Granborough Parish Council remains concerned about the impact such a major site would have on the wildlife species living within the farming area. It has also referenced six other major projects planned in similar areas of Aylesbury Vale, as a reason it believes the site is unsuitable. It is also argued that the scale of the project would affect the views of the countryside area people have from their homes.

The action group has said it believes the project is linked to the divisive Rosefield solar farm project, which is set to be proposed nearby.