Public inquiry into ‘bomb’ battery storage system project in Great Barr draws to a close

At the centre of the proceedings is a controversial planning application on green belt land at Chapel Lane in Great Barr.

Walsall Council planning officers had previously refused permission for the project to go ahead, due to fire safety risks, loss of greenbelt, noise and industrial appearance. 

The public inquiry was launched into the BESS development when the applicant, Anesco Ltd, submitted a non-determination appeal to the planning inspectorate.

Now proceedings have been brought to a close, the decision on whether to override the council’s refusal for the 49.35MW battery storage system now lies in the hands of the planning inspectorate. 

A decision is likely to take several weeks. 

Anesco’s proposals involve installing a 49.35MW battery storage system spanning 3.2 hectares, with 44 storage units, two substations, a 15-metre communications tower, and several access routes.

The intended lifespan of the ‘temporary’ facility is 40 years, with its primary function to store electricity from the grid during off-peak hours and release it during periods of high demand.

During the inquiry which started on November 5, Walsall Council’s planning officers, members of the community, teachers from nearby schools, the Beacon Action Group, and Anesco all put their cases before the inspector. 

The words ‘explosive’, ‘danger’ and ‘risk to life’ were heard repeatedly by those opposing the development. 

References were made to another BESS site in Liverpool which set fire in 2020. 

Fire risks aside, other concerns included how the ‘delicate’ country lane with a weight limit of 7.5 tonnes would handle the HGVs required for construction, the ‘vibrations’ during the construction damaging nearby listed buildings, the hum of the storage system and associated air conditioning units disturbing wildlife, flood risk, loss of green belt, loss of land which could be cultivated and the aesthetic of the development.

Defending the proposed development, Anesco said the site on Chapel Lane offered very little value to the conservation area and any harm caused by the development would be ‘entirely reversible’.

It also said Walsall Council has ‘consistently overstated’ the risks of the levels of harm arising from the project, describing it as a ‘modest and much-needed energy scheme with limited and temporary impacts’.