'Safety is no reason to refuse battery site plan'

Opposing sides in an upcoming planning appeal battle over a proposed 50MW battery site, have agreed safety is "not a reason for refusal".

The agreement, between Lower Coalmoor BESS Limited and Telford & Wrekin Council, means if a planning inspector allows the development on sloping land near Coalbrookdale, safety matters will be dealt with later.

The application, close to Buildwas Bank, had been rejected by the council's planning committee, with members saying the plan was unacceptable because of land stability.

The applicants, who appealed to the Planning Inspectorate, claim refusal was unreasonable and want a planning inspector to order the council to pay costs.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service told a planning inspector, in advance of an inquiry scheduled for 2 July, that although there were relatively few recorded blazes involving battery energy storage systems, "when affected by fire, they pose a significant environmental and safety hazard".

Further measures may be required to mitigate the "risk posed to the environment in the event of a fire", the service said.

This may "include compensatory features to limit the run-off of contaminated water into nearby waterways", it added.

Little Wenlock Parish Council told the planning inspector it supported "concerns about water-use to cool battery storage sites during a fire".

"Contaminated water if allowed to enter the water course will ultimately end up in the River Severn, a source of water for human consumption," the authority said

The Telford & Wrekin committee had gone against officers' advice in rejecting the application.

Councillors considered the plan unacceptable because of land stability, and the visual intrusion that would harm the setting of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site and Severn Gorge Conservation Area.

Documents provided to the planning inspector before the July hearing reveal Telford & Wrekin has proposed several planning conditions if the appeal is granted.

The applicants will have to get detailed emergency response plans and battery safety management procedures approved that cover the "construction, operational and decommissioning phases".

The planning inspector has been sent guidance from the National Fire Chiefs' Council saying battery energy storage systems are a "fundamental part of the UK's move toward a sustainable energy system".

There have been a "number of high profile incidents" and "learning from these incidents continues to emerge", the guidance states.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.