Consultation period for major battery storage farm project in Aylesbury Vale closes soon

The consultation period for a divisive, major battery farm project between Buckingham and Aylesbury is set to close next month.

Residents have until 16 February to comment on the scheme which, it is claimed, could power 57,000 homes.

Called East Claydon Storage, the project would be built on land to the south-east of the existing East Claydon National Grid substation, between the villages of Granborough and East Claydon. Statera Energy a renewable developer is to preparing the planning proposal for the site, claiming it would run an efficient and adaptable service.

The energy specialist says the site would cover over 25 hectares in total.

But a campaign group has objected to the scheme, raising concerns including the additional large lorries that would be visiting the site and potential visual impacts on the countryside, along with “fire safety and contamination risks”.

At the time of writing 388 objections have been submitted on the planning application for the project, which can be viewed online here – but 84 posts in support have also been received.

One of the key objections raised by residents is how close the new station would be to another major energy project in Granborough. A proposal has been launched to construct a 500-megawatt battery storage station on a rural site in the village, similar in size to 35 football pitches.

One resident, who supports the project, said: “I would gladly look at this and other facilities from my house and as I travel in my local area, knowing its vital contribution to the global energy transition. Every region of the country has a role to play in the energy transition.”

MP Greg Smith spoke out in opposition against the project, he said: “This area has seen a huge increase in construction activity over the past few years, which has had a devastating impact on the local infrastructure and the wider community. This has taken the form of large-scale major projects, including High Speed Two and East West Rail, as well as various housing developments in and around the surrounding villages. The impact on residents and businesses comes directly from the presence and movement of construction activities, above all heavy goods vehicles - none of which are suited to travelling on single-track roads through and between villages where property foundations have been damaged by excessive vibration as a direct result of near-constant HGV movements which often include fully-laden commercial tipper trucks.”