Decision on 'eyesore' battery facility to be made

Plans to build a "huge eyesore" battery facility in the Oxfordshire countryside are set for a decision next week.

The 300MW battery energy storage system would be built on agricultural land off the B4016 at Appleford, about two miles from Didcot.

It would not produce electricity itself, but store surplus electricity to be fed back into the grid during periods of high demand.

Vale of White Horse District Council's planning committee will decide on the plans on Wednesday.

The facility would connect to the Didcot substation south-west of the site via an underground cable.

Commenting on the planning portal, resident Vicky Johnson said: "At a time when food security is more important than ever, the development will result in a loss of fully productive agricultural land and would have a major impact on the landscape and rural character of the area.

"The area which is already under threat from nearby development and many environmental harms from the adjacent waste transfer facility, landfill, and gravel and cement works.

"The development will be a huge eyesore and a highly visible industrial presence in a rural village setting."

Officers have recommended the scheme for approval and said it "would not have a detrimental effect on the environment".

In a report, they said benefits of the development included the "production of renewable energy for use by the technology centre, along with proposed landscape mitigation, benefiting both the site and wider landscape".

If approved, the site would be operational for between 40 and 50 years, before reverting back to being agricultural fields.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.