Plan for battery site on farmland to be decided

The plot earmarked for the energy storage facility is on arable land

Proposals for an energy storage facility on eight hectares (20 acres) of farmland in East Sussex are set to be approved or rejected at a planning meeting.

Wealden District Council will consider an application to create a battery energy storage system at Moor Hall Farm, in Ninfield.

It would comprise 108 battery units arranged into 27 blocks of four, and other infrastructure, including transformers and a power station.

But a number of people, including councillor Mark Fairweather, say the facility would harm the appearance of an area of "unspoilt and remote countryside".

The units allow energy generated by renewable sources to be stored and released when they are needed most, according to the National Grid.

Ninfield Parish Council and a small number of neighbouring residents have raised concerns around fire safety, highway safety and light pollution, the Local democracy Reporting Service says.

Wealden District Council planning officers have acknowledged concerns and say the development would result in some "localised landscape harm", loss of high quality agricultural land and "less than substantial harm" to the setting of a nearby listed building.

However, they also say these harms would be outweighed by the benefits of the facility.

A council spokesperson said the development would contribute towards the UK's net zero target and increase the use and efficiency of renewable energy resources.

They also said the project would create jobs, particularly during construction.