PWA Planning’s energy team has successfully secured acceptance of a full planning application for a 98MW battery energy storage scheme at Hams Hall in Lea Marston, after North Warwickshire Borough Council agreed to treat the site as grey belt land.
Acting on behalf of E.ON UK, PWA prepared and submitted the application for the proposed BESS facility on agricultural land adjacent to the existing Hams Hall industrial estate.
The project will provide vital energy balancing services by storing electricity during periods of low demand and discharging it during peak demand, supporting the resilience of the National Grid and aiding the integration of renewable energy sources.
Although the site is formally designated as green belt under the adopted local plan, PWA’s statement demonstrated that the site makes a limited contribution to the core purposes of green belt, is visually contained by existing infrastructure, and will not lead to unrestricted sprawl.
Based on this evidence and the strong policy support for energy storage infrastructure, the local planning authority accepted the case for grey belt treatment and did not identify harm that would outweigh the benefits of the scheme.
The proposal also includes a range of environmental enhancements. A detailed Biodiversity Metric Report shows a significant net gain in ecological habitat and hedgerow units, and additional native planting and sustainable drainage measures are proposed to strengthen landscape and ecological performance.
The facility is designed to operate for around 40 years before being decommissioned and the site restored to agricultural use.
Graeme Thorpe, associate at PWA, said: “We are delighted that the council recognised the strategic importance of this battery storage project and accepted the justification for grey belt land classification.
“This decision reflects growing understanding of the role that large-scale energy storage plays in delivering the UK’s clean energy transition and the need to make pragmatic planning judgements where sites are well-located and environmentally well-managed. We are proud to support E.ON in bringing forward a project that contributes to national net zero objectives while delivering local benefits.”
The Hams Hall BESS now advances a valuable example of how evolving planning policy and national energy objectives are shaping planning outcomes for critical energy infrastructure.