140,000 HOMES WOULD GET POWER FOR UP TO TWO HOURS
New building would store excess electricity
NEIGHBOURS are objecting to plans to build an electricity storage facility on a Green Belt site.
Chatterley Energy Storage Limited is requesting planning permission for the building in a field at Outclough Farm, next to Chatterley Whitfield colliery.
According to the application the site will be capable of serving the needs of 140,000 homes for up to two hours. The company says that such facilities will help the country switch to green energy by allowing excess electricity generated by renewables such as wind or solar to be stored.
In its application, Chatterley Energy Storage argues that the environmental benefits resulting from the development constitute the ‘very special circumstances’ required for building in the Green Belt.
But several people living nearby have objected to the plans, saying a Green Belt site is not an appropriate location, and raising concerns over the impact on wildlife.
Deborah Alexander is one of the neighbours who have submitted a formal objection.
She says: “I believe there are suitable brownfield sites within Stoke-on -Trent for such a development and therefore policy states green belt land should not be used.
“I find the suggestion that the site will be returned to its original environment after 40 years of use unacceptable and highly dubious.
“I think the devastating environmental impact actual goes against Green policy which solar energy is supposed to support. The local bat and owl populations will be affected by the noise, vibrations and flood lighting. The reptile populations have not even been studied or accounted for in the plans.”
Janet Churchill, of Ball Green, is also objecting to the plans. She says: “The site at Chatterley Whitfield has taken many years to mature into a greenway and this proposal would be seen as a backwards step, returning it to a brownfield site. The surrounding walks are used by the vast majority of residents on a daily basis.”
The development would include a range of low-rise modular buildings which would house the batteries to be used for energy storage. There would also be inverters and transformers, two control buildings, and a substation structure surrounded by security fencing.
According to the application, the development has been designed to minimise visual impacts, and complies with policies of the development plan relating to the Green Belt, heritage, landscape and noise.
The application states: “The proposed energy storage facility seeks to provide infrastructure for the benefit of the businesses and residents of Stoke-on-trent. This will enable electricity to be stored for use during peak times and the efficient use of renewably generated electricity. The development would provide over 140,000 homes with two hours of electricity if required.
“The UK government has set out a Net Zero Strategy by 2035 and the need for electrical storage is essential to that strategy.
“The development is therefore essential in order to deliver sustainable development across Stoke.”
Planners at Stoke-on-trent City Council are due to make a decision on the plans by June 21.