What's Changed? The developer’s headline change is the removal of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). This was the respond to widespread public concerns about fire risk and the lack of sufficient regulation together with professional advice about the risk to our drinking water. Don’t be fooled – the BESS will be back. The developer has only removed the battery storage (BESS) to make this application more palatable. If planning permission for the solar farm is granted, they are very likely to submit a follow-up application to add the BESS later. At that point, it will be far harder to object, as the principle of development will already have been established.
Granting this application paves the way for a future high-risk battery facility. 6