Plan for energy storage facility on green belt

The public have been giving their opinions on plans for a new energy storage facility on the edge of a Kent village.

Clearstone Energy has suggested building a 300 megawatt (MW) battery storage unit on land in Southfleet, on the metropolitan green belt between Dartford and Gravesend.

The company said the new facility could store enough power for thousands of homes and would generate £50,000 of annual funding to the local community.

Jeremy Kite, leader of Dartford Borough Council, told the BBC that "food security is as important as energy security" and he was concerned the development would impact local agriculture.

Clearstone Energy has been running an online public consultation and is holding an event on Tuesday afternoon at Southfleet Village Hall to discuss plans.

The consultation closes on 19 November after which the firm will draw up its plans and submit them to Dartford council, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Kite said "rural spaces need to be respected" and that areas such as Southfleet should remain the core of the country's agricultural production.

Clearstone Energy insists that building a new facility in this area is essential to increase renewable energy.

The firm said the unit would work with the nearby National Grid's Northfleet Substation on a temporary 40-year use of the land.

At the end of the project, the land would be returned to agricultural use, said Clearstone Energy.

The energy facility, according to the company, would replace 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from gas-fired power plants each year.

Mr Kite acknowledged the need for "greener energy" solutions yet he said it shouldn't be "at the cost of something else".

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