Council approves plans for battery storage facility

The planning application was approved at a Cumberland Council meeting held at Allerdale House

Plans to build a battery storage facility across farmland have been approved by a local authority.

Cumberland Council approved Windel Energy and Recurrent Energy's scheme to build the battery park to the north of Carlisle, in Cumbria.

The site, located between the villages of Todhills and Westlinton, will measure about 16 acres (6.4 hectares).

The council unanimously approved the application at a meeting on 13 March, giving the applicants five years to begin the development.

Windel Energy is based in Blyth, Northumberland, and was founded in 2018, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The company specialises in building renewable energy projects and low carbon technology.

Recurrent Energy is a Canadian renewable energy firm that has developed solar and battery storage projects across six continents.

The council meeting, held at Allerdale House, in Workington, heard that the site will store energy in lithium ion batteries.

Liberal Democrat councillor Roger Dobson said there were concerns about the risk of fire but pointed out that the fire and rescue service had not raised any objections about the development.

Planning officer Barbara Percival told the meeting that the applicant would be required to submit a fire management plan as a condition of the planning permission.