Residents in Thirsk up in arms over proposal for Europe’s biggest battery storage project

Nearly 800 people have objected to an environment-wrecking battery energy storage park on green belt land near Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

The project forms part of the UK Labour Party’s drive to increase renewable energy storage capacity across the country.

However, the project in Thirsk has demonstrated that corporations can run roughshod over local communities and the environment in the process.

Thirsk battery storage: community oppose mega-project

Renewable energy company NatPower is seeking permission from North Yorkshire Council to build a 1GW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Thirsk. It has applied to construct the project on a 173-acre greenspace just outside the town. The project would take up 58 acres of the site. This would make it the largest BESS site of its kind in Europe.

Notably, this would contribute to the Labour Party government’s goal to increase battery storage by a minimum of five-fold on today’s available capacity. Currently, the UK has 4.5GW of installed battery storage. In December, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) published its plans to upscale this to between 23-27GW by 2030.

However, the local community has lodged widespread objections to it. With nearly 800 formal objections submitted, the community has made its opposition unambiguous. Residents of Thirsk and the surrounding countryside made clear that the massive industrial project is unwelcome in their rural community.

The North Yorkshire Council planning portal displays more than 567 public comments raising objections to the project. Alongside this, local campaigners have hand-delivered more 227 objections to the council directly.

In contrast to the overwhelming local opposition, the application received just four letters of support. Two of these came from non-local sources.

Furthermore, the consultation event conducted by NatPower in November only managed to attract 137 local residents. This raised concerns about the level of community engagement.

As the BBC previously reported, the North York Moors National Park Authority, the local parish council, and Thirsk Town Council have all separately made objections to the project.

Corporate interests over the community and nature

A local campaign group – Thirsk Against Battery Storage – sprung up to challenge the proposals. Comprised of local residents, the group has been instrumental in mobilising objections against the project.

Crucially, it now raises overwhelming number of objections to the project as evidence for the unity of the local community’s stance. The group suggests that local people rejected the project for prioritising corporate interests over the well-being of residents, walkers, and nature lovers.

Key concerns raised by objectors include:

• Significant fire risk from lithium-ion batteries.
• Damage to wildlife habitats and disruption to public footpaths.
• The transformation of good agricultural land into an industrial site.
• The risk of noise pollution and other environmental impacts.
• The damage to the finest view in England from the nearby National Park.
• The economic impact from the loss of tourism.

Spokesperson for the group Philip Martin said:

The numbers speak for themselves. Thirsk is a historic market town, surrounded by stunning countryside and a community that values its heritage and environment. This proposal is entirely inappropriate for our area, and we are thrilled that so many people have made their voices heard.

The public consultation on the proposals has now closed. With the weight of public opposition now firmly on record, all eyes are on local authorities as they consider the next steps in the planning process.

Local resident and shop owner Fiona Potter objected to the industrial-scale development bordering her community. She said:

This is our home. Developments of this scale belong in brown field, industrial areas of which there are plenty to meet national demand, not in cherished countryside. We urge the planning committee to listen to the community and reject this proposal outright.

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