Agenda item

PROPOSAL: Construction and operation of an Energy Reserve comprising Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) together with associated infrastructure, access, landscaping and cabling, for a temporary period of 40 years (amended description).

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION: Permit.

73.33        This application was for construction and operation of an Energy Reserve comprising Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) together with associated infrastructure, access, landscaping and cabling, for a temporary period of 40 years (amended description).  The Planning Committee visited the application site on Friday 19 April 2024.

73.34        The Senior Planning Officer drew attention to the Additional Representations Sheet, attached at Appendix 1, which recommended amendments to conditions 8 and 16.  Members were advised there were two access points off Brockworth Road, the northern access was the construction route and, once complete, would be restricted for agricultural purposes leaving the southern access for maintenance vehicles to access the site and this would be secured by condition.  The batteries would be perpendicular with the A417 with 16 laid out side to side and eight inverters alongside them.  There would be a perimeter track with access to each container and around that would be a perimeter fence with a landscaping scheme beyond that.  The Committee report explained that the site was in the Green Belt where there would normally be a presumption against inappropriate development; however, the National Planning Policy Framework set out that very special circumstances could include the wider environmental benefits of renewable development.  In this case, the application was supported by a site selection report comprising the very special circumstances and Officers considered that other alternative sites had reasonably been investigated and discounted in the search for appropriate sites.  It should be acknowledged that every battery energy site was likely to come with some constraints and, in this case, Officers were satisfied that whilst development would lead to limited intrusion into the Green Belt, the benefits far outweighed the harm to its openness.  To an extent this was already disrupted by existing development in the immediate vicinity, for example, the trunk road of the M5 and the development south of the A417.  To further reduce the harm to the openness during the 40 year operational period, Officers had agreed a condition whereby the northern access track would be removed once construction was complete and the development would also be screened by significant hedge and tree planting.  Officers had not identified other significant harms in terms of landscape, amenity, highways or material considerations against development and recommended the application be permitted. 

73.35        The Chair invited the applicant’s representative to address the Committee.  The applicant’s representative explained there was clear recognition at both a national and local level of the urgency to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions. The most recent version of the National Planning Policy Framework provided policy support recognising that battery storage was renewable energy infrastructure and the recently designated National Policy Statements on energy were material planning considerations and classified battery storage as critical national infrastructure.  There could be no doubt this application delivered on the principle of sustainable development which, along with wider environmental benefits, was noted as weighing significantly in favour of this type of development by Inspectors in allowing numerous appeals for battery storage in Green Belt locations reflecting the positive policy stance and clearly demonstrating government support for battery storage. Decentralised energy storage was essential to deliver net zero targets and, according to the National Grid, up to 35GW of storage capacity would be needed by 2050 across the country; this development would contribute towards those targets.  Tewkesbury Borough Council has declared a climate emergency and had an ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030.  Each cycle of the batteries would deliver back onto the grid the equivalent of the daily electricity consumption of 5,000 homes in Gloucestershire, stabilising the grid and facilitating greater deployment of clean renewable energy.  To develop a project like this, three things were needed: a viable grid connection offer; an interested landowner; and land which was free from statutory environmental designations –  this application delivered all three.  Whilst the site was in the Green Belt, a site selection justification report had been submitted which considered potential alternative sites outside of the Green Belt including on existing business parks and the brownfield register – as set out by the Senior Planning Officer, those were robustly discounted for various reasons.  As the site was in the Green Belt, very special circumstances were required to be demonstrated and, in this case, included: the urgent need for renewable energy infrastructure to be deployed at a scale to support the UK’s legally binding commitment to net zero; the declared climate emergency and commitments made by Tewkesbury Borough Council; proximity to a grid connection with capacity; temporary and reversible nature of the development; limited scale of the development to minimise landscape impact; significant biodiversity net gain amounting to 37% which was almost four times the legal requirement; and a significant proportion of the site dedicated to landscape and biodiversity enhancements which delivered farm diversification to support the rural economy.  With the exception of the Parish Council there were no other objections and the application was acceptable in relation to all material planning considerations.  Therefore, she urged the Planning Committee to note the urgent need for the development and the associated significant benefits it would bring, and respectfully requested the planning application be approved, in line with the Officer recommendation.

73.36         The Chair indicated that the Officer recommendation was to permit the application subject to the amended conditions as set out in the Additional Representations Sheet, and he sought a motion from the floor.  A Member noted that other potential sites had been considered and Staverton, in particular, had been dismissed having been identified as a major employment allocation; however, in her view that site would be much more suitable in terms of loss of Green Belt and due to the existing road infrastructure and electricity substation so she asked for an explanation as to why those factors did not amount to very special circumstances.  The Senior Planning Officer advised that a very comprehensive site selection report had been submitted with the application and finding a site for battery storage was very difficult due to the nature of the development.  Page No. 159, Paragraph 8.22 of the Committee report set out the constraints which existed in terms of finding suitable sites.  Staverton was allocated for employment and justifying a battery storage use on employment land would be difficult as that use would be displaced elsewhere leading to other difficulties.  Officers were comfortable the site selection report had looked at alternative sites and assessed them in sufficient detail to discount them, leaving the only viable option to look at a site in the Green Belt.  A Member noted there would be CCTV on the site when it was built and questioned whether a condition could be included to ensure the site was not lit at night in order to retain the dark skies.  In response, the Senior Planning Officer advised that lighting would be conditioned via the ecological management plan, albeit that was in relation to ecology, so another condition could be included to secure retention of dark skies. 

73.37         It was proposed and seconded that the application be permitted in accordance with the Officer recommendation subject to an additional condition to ensure retention of dark skies.  A Member accepted the need for facilities such as this but got the impression this site had been selected as the ‘best of the worst’ rather than being suitable in its own right.  She had a problem with the further loss of Green Belt and the units had a very industrial feel.  The A417 set a boundary of sorts with the area on one side being Green Belt and she felt it was important to retain that as such.  The impact on the views had been dismissed in the Committee report and she raised concern in relation to Page No. 167, Paragraph 8.92 which set out that Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) traffic would be directed through Churchdown.  Another Member felt there was a faster route than the one suggested through the village and past schools, particularly as there would also be another construction site on Cheltenham Road East, and she asked if it was possible to make changes to the transport plan so that HGV traffic could turn left to Hucclecote and then onto the M5.  In response, the Senior Planning Officer clarified that the construction period would be approximately six months and it was anticipated there would be eight two-way HGV movements per day Monday-Friday excluding Bank Holidays.  Whilst she did not think it was a reason to refuse the application, the Member questioned why that particular route had been chosen and the County Highways representative advised that the applicant had looked at where material would be sourced from and where it needed to get to and had presented that route in the application.  Another Member asked if it was possible to include a condition to ensure that mature planting was required to ensure screening happened more quickly and the Senior Planning Officer advised that could be looked at as part of the landscaping plan which would be secured by condition.

73.38         Upon being put to the vote, it was

RESOLVED          That the application be PERMITTED subject to the amended conditions as set out in the Additional Representation Sheet and an additional condition to secure retention of dark skies.