Councillors have unanimously rejected a significant proposal for a 99-megawatt battery energy storage facility at a farm in Staffordshire, siding with nearly 150 local residents who raised major safety and environmental concerns.
Safety Fears and Green Belt Concerns Sink Proposal
The application by Root Power for the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at New House Farm in Bagnall, Staffordshire Moorlands, was refused by the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council planning committee on 20 December 2025. The decision followed the guidance of planning officers.
Almost 150 individuals formally objected to the scheme, citing fears over potential fire and explosion hazards, noise pollution, and the development's impact on the protected Green Belt land.
Residents and Officials Cite Critical Access and Explosion Risks
During the committee meeting, local resident Sharon Plant voiced profound worries, stating the site layout failed to provide safe access for fire services in an emergency. "The fire report comments that no proposal for explosion protection has been provided by the applicant," she said, highlighting that this omission caused "a great deal of concern for residents."
She emphasised the danger to residents of Little Armshead Farm, located roughly 80 metres from the proposed site, who rely on a single access route. "If compromised this could mean they are trapped. The danger to life is great both for residents and the emergency services," Plant told councillors.
Planning officials supported these concerns, concluding the proposed single-track access from Luzlow Lane would not offer "safe and convenient" access for fire crews. They also raised issues regarding noise, biodiversity, and the fact the site sits within a minerals safeguarding zone for silica sand.
Developer's Appeal and Committee's Final Verdict
The proposed development would have included 24 battery clusters, 12 transformers, a substation, and a grid connection to the nearby Cellarhead substation. Root Power argued that "very special circumstances" related to the need to connect to the grid justified building on Green Belt land.
Representing the applicant, Louise Leyland requested a postponement to address technical issues, asserting the fire safety fears were "unfounded." She argued that similar schemes with single access points had been approved on appeal and that the landscape impact was an inevitable part of the transition to a low-carbon society.
However, the committee was not persuaded. Councillor Keith Flunder expressed particular unease about the site's proximity to the Wetley Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). "This is just in the wrong place," he stated. "The SSSI can't be moved but the battery storage can be moved."
The committee members agreed with their officers' assessment that the scheme's problems could not be resolved and voted to refuse planning permission.
