Battery storage unit approved despite fire concerns

Plans for a controversial battery energy storage unit have been approved by a council, despite concerns about fire risk.

A majority of councillors agreed to allow the development on the outskirts of Wicken in East Cambridgeshire, although committee vice chair, Mark Goldsack, described the decision as "a very difficult one".

A meeting of East Cambridgeshire Council's planning committee heard from local residents and parish councillors, who had concerns about how long it would take to bring any possible fire under control.

The developers say the plans meet current fire regulations. The unit would have a lifespan of 35 years.

The battery storage units will be built close to nearby solar farms and will store energy at off-peak times, which can then be used when there is more demand on the National Grid.

Representatives for GSC Church Road Wicken Limited said the area's rural setting made it a good location for the project.

However local residents have raised concerns about the impact on wildlife and what would happen in the event of a fire.

Lucius Vellacott, the Conservative district councillor for Soham South, urged the committee to refuse the application because of the visual "impact on the landscape".

He argued that it was not an "appropriate use of land" and said residents had concerns about how the toxicity of any potential fire at the site would be dealt with.

The committee also heard from Martin Blunden from Greenfire Solutions, who carried out a report for the council.

He said the chances of a fire starting at the site was "one in 156 years for the first three years of operation". This then reduces to one in 312 years after the third year of operation.

He also said that any fire would be allowed to burn, with water being stored nearby used to stop it spreading.

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