An application for a development to store excess electricity generated by renewable energy facilities is going to Tewkesbury Borough Council's Planning Committee tomorrow (April 23).

The application is for construction and operation of an energy reserve comprising a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for a temporary period of 40 years on land north of the A417 near Brockworth.

The proposed facility would have a capacity of approximately 20MW and would connect by an underground cable to the existing 33kV overhead electricity distribution line, which crosses the site. It would include 16 containerised lithium-ion battery units housed in containers (each 2.5m wide x 6.1m long x 3.1m high) and eight inverter units housed in containers (each 2.5m wide, x 6.1m long x 3.1m high).

The application site is approximately 2.3ha of agricultural land immediately north of the A417 and between M5 Junction 11a and Brockworth Road. It is on the southern edge of the Green Belt, with the A417 marking the Green Belt boundary.

Council officers are recommending the development goes ahead. There have been no objections from individual local people or authorities, including Natural England, Environment Agency, National Highways and Gloucestershire County Council's Highways department.

But Brockworth Parish Council has raised a number of objections to the plans, including concerns about development on the Green Belt; concerns about construction traffic through the village; proximity of the new housing development to the site; loss of agricultural land; and concerns over the ecology, wildlife and environmental impact of the development, both during construction and operation of the site.

While the proposed development won't produce renewable energy, like a solar farm, BESS facilities are key, because they are able to store excess electricity generated by renewable energy facilities when demand is low, and release energy to the grid at periods of high demand.

The UK requires this sort of electricity storage facility to balance energy demand without resorting to fossil fuel generation.

Planning Practice Guidance was updated last year to reflect that BESS is categorised within 'Renewable and low carbon energy', with the benefits of BESS development being 'flexibility and decarbonisation of the energy system through grid balancing and maximising solar and wind output'.

The proposed development would support nationally set renewable energy targets and contribute to Tewkesbury Borough Council's commitment to achieving net zero.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that development is harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances. The applicant found no suitable alternative sites for the BESS development within Cheltenham, Gloucester, Tewkesbury or Stroud.

In addition, council officers consider the development should be viewed in the context of the A417, which is the dominant feature of the area and should mitigate the additional impact of BESS development on the openness of the Green Belt.

With the potential harms of the proposed development not considered to outweigh the very significant benefits of energy storage, officers recommend that committee members approve the planning application.