Battery storage facility at Land South of A494, Mollington, Chester

What is proposed

The application proposes a battery energy storage facility, associated infrastructure and a new access from Parkgate Road, with capacity up to 480MWh.

“Description of development: Battery energy storage facility and associated infrastructure including access onto Parkgate Road.”

Officer report

The site

The 5.4-hectare site is agricultural countryside in the Green Belt, with scattered dwellings, a service station and a public footpath nearby.

“The application site lies in the countryside and in the Green Belt. It has an area of 5.4 hectares and is comprised of several parcels of agricultural land. The footprint of the Energy Storage Facility is indicated to be approximately 1.2 hectares with the remaining 4.15 hectares of the site covering the access, drainage, proposed landscaping, ecological mitigation, and ecological enhancement.”

“The site is flat, undulating land with a slight south facing tilt and the surrounding area is mainly used for agriculture with a service station to the north of the access, and scattered dwellings to the south.”

Officer report

What residents raised

Objections concerned Green Belt and countryside harm, agricultural land, brownfield alternatives, highways, amenity, fire risk, landscape and biodiversity.

“Representations (e.g. in response to neighbour notification/advertisement):”

“Inappropriate development in the Green Belt. • Encroachment into open countryside. • Loss of agricultural land. • Brownfield land should be considered first. • Concern over highway safety. • Detrimental impact on neighbour amenity by reason of noise and light pollution, as well as loss of outlook. • Unacceptable to locate development with relatively high fire risk close to motorway. • Harmful visual impact/blot on the landscape. • Risk to wildlife and biodiversity.”

Officer report

Who spoke

The agent spoke for the application and the ward member spoke on the item.

What members debated

Members questioned agricultural land, grey belt status, alternative sites, Green Belt impact, referral delay and the Ellesmere Port industrial area.

“Members made the following enquiries: • The land is rated grade 3 (Agricultural Land Classification), this does not support the retention of greenfield land. • How was the grey belt land to be determined? • Was there any grey belt site, located closer to Capenhurst substation that could have been identified for use? • Could officers advise, what criteria they had used, to determine that, if this permission was granted, the impact to the green belt land, would be considered…”

“Officers responded as follows: • This would not be a consideration for grey belt land • The Committee was still to be required, to make decisions in line with local development plans and also apply material considerations including the National Planning Policy Framework. • Officers had not examined every field in this area, but this application needed to be determined on its merits.”

Minutes

The vote

The proposal to approve the application subject to conditions passed by seven votes to four.

“A proposal to approve the application, subject to conditions in the report was passed by 7 votes in favour and 4 against DECIDED: That the application be approved.”

Minutes