Site visit agreed for west Wales battery box proposal amid safeguarding concerns

Planners are to visit the site of a proposed ‘battery box’ unit to provide electricity storage during off-peak times, which has seen local objections including fears of a potential risk to nearby school children.

In an application recommended for approval at the November meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, AMP Clean Energy sought permission for a micro energy storage project on land at Fishguard Leisure Centre Car Park, near Ysgol Bro Gwaun.

This scheme is one of a number of similar applications by AMP, either registered or approved under delegated planning powers by officers.

AMP Clean Energy was recently granted permission for micro energy storage projects in Pembroke Dock, Pembroke, and land to the south of Withybush Industrial Estate, Haverfordwest; works on the latter having recently started.

A supporting statement accompanying each application says the battery boxes import electricity from the local electricity network when demand for electricity is low or when there are high levels of renewable energy available, exporting it back during periods of high demand to help address grid reliability issues prompted by an increase of intermittent (wind and solar) generation, with each giving the potential to power 200 homes for four hours.

The Fishguard scheme, which has seen objections from the town council and members of the public, was before committee at the request of the local member, Cllr Pat Davies.

Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council objected to the proposal on grounds including visual impact, and the location being near the school.

An officer report said the scheme would be well screened by a Paladin Fence, with a need to be sited close to an existing substation.

Speaking at the meeting, Shirley Devonald, on behalf of her elderly parents who live nearby, said raised concerns about the visual impact of the scheme, along with fears of a potential fire risk from the batteries, with Fishguard Town Council’s Cllr Jim Morgan raising concerns including the “nightmare scenario” of a fire as children were leaving the school.

Cllr Pat Davies, who had made the request for committee decision, suggested there were better “industrial” locations for the scheme, saying: “There are real safeguarding issues here, I strongly oppose this application, I just can’t understand why this location has been chosen.”

Cllr Davies stressed she was not against the technology, just the location and the potential risk to pupils.

Calls for a site visit, later formally moved by Cllr Brian Hall, were made, but Cllr Tony Wilcox said he would call for its refusal, purely on location, with Cllr Alan Dennison raising similar concerns.

Members backed a site visit by nine votes to four; the application returning to a future meeting.