Battery storage planning trends
The battery storage planning index stands at 563: battery storage takes about 5.6 times its 2016 share of applications, less than half its 2025 peak.
Battery storage applications since 2016
Battery storage applications in every 10,000 planning applications, over the 12 months to each month
How this is measuredPeak, then a fall
The battery storage planning index peaked at 1,266 in the year to July 2025, as NESO's Gate 2 application window drew to a close in August. It fell to 512 in the year to August 2026 and now stands at 563.
Northern Ireland and the East Midlands lead
From 2023 to 2025 councils in Northern Ireland received 18.9 battery storage applications in every 10,000, the East Midlands 17.7 and Scotland 17.3, against 10.1 across the UK. London received 0.4. Scottish schemes of 50MW or more go to Scottish Ministers rather than councils.
Q3 2026 against a year earlier
Councils received 95 battery storage applications in Q3 2026: 9.2 in every 10,000 applications, against 14 in Q3 2025, a share of all applications 34% lower than a year earlier.
Battery storage applications each quarter
95 in Q3 2026, against 152 a year earlier.
Out of every 10,000 applications
As a share of every application: 9.2 in every 10,000 in Q3 2026, against 14 a year earlier.
Where battery storage applications concentrate
By region
Battery storage applications in every 10,000 planning applications, 2023 to 2025
Councils with the most
Applications since 2016
-
North Yorkshire
Yorkshire and Humber · 7.8 in every 10,000 59 -
Milton Keynes
South East · 26 in every 10,000 54 -
Wiltshire
South West · 8.3 in every 10,000 49 -
Aberdeenshire
Scotland · 19 in every 10,000 47 -
Highland
Scotland · 12 in every 10,000 44 -
West Northamptonshire
East Midlands · 12 in every 10,000 44 -
Cornwall
South West · 4.7 in every 10,000 38 -
Fife
Scotland · 14 in every 10,000 38 -
South Staffordshire
West Midlands · 32 in every 10,000 34 -
East Riding of Yorkshire
Yorkshire and Humber · 10 in every 10,000 31
Latest battery storage applications
- Finham Park 2 Torrington Avenue, Coventry Installation of a proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) and associated infrastructure
- Rakegate Primary School Rakegate Close Wolverhampton Battery energy storage system (BESS) and associated infrastructure
- Land at the end of Pittwood Road, Lillyhall The construction and operation of a micro battery storage project.
- Land adjacent Greta Avenue, Carlisle Construction & Operation Of A Micro Energy Storage Project
- Lees Brook Community School Morley Road Derby Installation of a battery energy storage system and associated infastructure
- The Samworth Church Academy Sherwood Hall Road Mansfield Nottinghamshire Installation of a proposed battery energy storage system (bess) and associated infrastructure.
How often are they refused?
Of 1,615 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 13.4% were refused, close to the 11.3% for all applications.
Refusal rate by year
Decisions, applications received 2016 to 2024
- Approved or refused1,615
- Refused13.4%
- Withdrawn before a decision145
- All applications11.3% refused
Questions
How many battery storage planning applications are there in the UK?
Councils have received 3,168 since January 2016, 331 of them in the 12 months to September 2026. Their share peaked in the 12 months to July 2025.
Where are the most battery storage applications made?
North Yorkshire, Milton Keynes and Wiltshire have received the most since 2016.
How often are battery storage applications refused?
Of 1,615 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 13.4% were refused, close to the 11.3% for all applications.
Do these figures include home batteries?
No. A battery for a home, a hotel, chargers or a building's own small panels is left out, as is one fitted to a garage or roof, so the figures follow battery storage schemes in their own right. Applications do not measure capacity.
About Plota
Plota is the UK's most visited planning search, according to Similarweb. It shows every new planning application from every UK council, read daily from 390 planning registers, with past applications back to 2016 from more than 420 registers, including those of councils since merged. It also covers planning committee decisions, HMO licences and premises licences.
How this is measured
What needs an application
Since 2 December 2020, English storage schemes above 50MW have been decided by councils rather than ministers.
Methodology
- What is counted: planning applications to UK councils whose description names battery storage or a close variant of the words, by the date each council received them. These are planning applications, not completed schemes; the largest energy and infrastructure projects are consented nationally rather than by councils, so they sit outside these counts.
- How matches are checked: we read a random sample of the battery storage applications counted here against what the topic's name means, and compare the counts with published figures where they exist.
- Topic counts leave out, by design, works to trees and applications that only discharge conditions, amend an earlier permission or approve reserved matters, which follow a scheme already counted. Everything else is counted.
- A share is the number out of every 10,000 applications over the previous 12 months. Each topic is a number in every 10,000 planning applications, so trends compare when overall planning activity changes; the share still moves when either the topic's count or the total does. The battery storage planning index sets the 2016 share at 100, so 200 means twice as common as in 2016.
- Source: the planning registers of every UK council, January 2016 to September 2026, read on 11 November 2026.
- Planning is seasonal, so each quarter is compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Year on year: each topic's and theme's share of all applications in Q3 2026, against Q3 2025, at every council we hold. A share is the number in every 10,000 applications. Shares compare across councils and years; raw counts do not.
- Left out of the topic shares: Birmingham's applications from June to September 2026: a validation backlog at the council since June 2026: of 685 reference numbers it issued in September, its register lists 288. The same months a year earlier are left out too, so every comparison covers the same councils.
- Refusals: applications received 2016 to 2024 and decided, at councils whose published decisions pass our checks against their decision notices. Approvals and refusals count; withdrawals do not. "All applications" means every decision of that kind at the same councils over the same years. Applications received from 2025 are added once most are decided.
- Download the data (CSV): every topic and theme, each quarter since 2016.
Sources
- NESO's Gate 2 application window closed on 26 August 2025, after an extension from 29 July approved by Ofgem. neso.energy
- In Scotland, battery storage of 50MW or more is treated as a generating station under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 and decided by Scottish Ministers. gov.scot
- The Infrastructure Planning (Electricity Storage Facilities) Order 2020, in force from 2 December 2020, moved consent for English storage schemes above 50MW to local planning authorities. legislation.gov.uk
- The government's Renewable Energy Planning Database lists battery storage applications to councils by quarter: 152 in Q3 2025, falling to 50 in Q2 2026. gov.uk