Battery storage farm to go ahead after appeal

The plans generated 38 objections over damage to moorland, road safety and traffic, and the impact on wildlife

Plans for a controversial battery storage farm in Lancashire can now go ahead after a planning inspector overturned the decision by councillors to refuse its approval.

Salford-based firm Root-Power (North) submitted a bid to build the 60-megawatt storage complex in woodland near Oswaldtwistle, near the M65 and Lottice Brook in the east of the county.

Hyndburn Council's rejected the application in April after ruling the application was unsuitable for wooded protected Green Belt countryside.

A government-appointed inspector however has now granted Root-Power's appeal against the decision, meaning the project can now go ahead with certain conditions.

The plant would see energy stored in batteries and put back into the National Grid at times of high demand.

Work on the scheme, which included 14 battery clusters and seven transformers – is due to start in mid-2027 and it is scheduled to go live in 2028, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Greybelt land'

The inspector found the "proposal would not be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and subject to the imposition of appropriate conditions, no undue harm would be caused for any other reason".

He said the site was near the M65 and to the outskirts of Blackburn and Oswaldtwistle and was "therefore near to large built-up areas".

"I therefore find the land does not strongly contribute to Green Belt purpose," he said.

The proposal had previously led to objections about damage to moorland, road safety and and the site's impact on wildlife including bats.

He said despite concerns from objectors about fire safety, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service raised no objections in a consultation.

Neil Brooks, managing director of Root-Power, said the firm was pleased the appeal was successful despite the initial refusal.

He said: "This planning application is among the first batch to be approved on the basis of the development being on 'greybelt' land.

"The recognition of greybelt as a legitimate planning consideration for decision makers will undoubtedly support the roll out of energy infrastructure across the UK as we transition to net-zero."