Firm says battery storage units not suitable

Housebuilders have criticised a company’s application to build a 49.9 megawatt energy storage facility west of Perth as they think the proposal is“completely incompatible”with their own designs for the same area.

Perthshire butcher Simon Howie’s real estate company Rossco Properties has asked Perth and Kinross Council for permission to position up to 50 battery storage units on land west of the Noah’s Perth children’s activity centre.

A supporting statement prepared by environmental consultants The Energy Workshop says the proposed energy storage facility would provide“rapid response electrical backup to the electricity grid”.

However, a planning consultant acting for Hermiston Securities, the property investment arm of Fife-based housebuilders the Muir Group, has now told PKC his clients object to the proposal being passed in the“strongest possible”terms.

The Muir Group was previously identified as also owning land around Noah’s Perth in documents which emerged from a so-called “charrette”exercise held in early 2015, during which several landowners set out how they wished to develop the area.

Since then the council has adopted a second local development plan (LDP) identifying 650 acres of land west of Perth, including the area around Noah’s Perth as being able to accommodate as many as 3453 new houses.

An application from the John Dewar Lamberkin Trust to build up to 1500 new homes at the southernmost side of the Perth West site is still awaiting a decision from city planners despite being sent to the local authority 12 months ago.

James Lochhead of The Lochhead Consultancy has now said of the energy storage facility in an objection written on behalf of Hermiston Securities:“This proposal is completely incompatible with the future land uses envisaged by the adopted LDP and in particularly [sic] housing.

“A considerable amount of time and effort by the council and the landowners has gone into Perth West including a charrette and masterplan.

“The proposal runs counter to the years of work that has gone into developing Perth West. The proposal is contrary to the council’s own vision for Perth West and will have a negative impact on the successful delivery of the wider allocation known as Perth West.”

Mr Lochhead added his clients wish to“reserve the right to provide further comments on any additional information provided by the applicant”.

PKC has received no other objections to Rossco Properties’ application so far.