Midlothian battery storage site next to school approved
But a meeting of the council's planning committee next week will hear that the BESS has been approved with no mention of fire risks or the proximity of the school in the Minister's decision.
A report to councillors says: 'The Ministers are satisfied that landscape and visual impacts, impacts on traffic, impacts from noise, coal mining legacy issues, decommissioning, and pollution prevention can all be mitigated via the use of conditions.
READ MORE: Four men jailed over 'egregious' £6.5 million NHS Scotland contract fraud
'The determination letter does not make any comment on fire risk or the safety of the schools campus.'
Ministers determined the benefits of the new site would be vital to meeting net zero targets
They said: 'Energy storage such as the proposed development provides will be vital in that context to help maintain the balance between supply and demand, to ensuring security of supply, and to reducing the curtailment of renewable generators under grid constraints which would otherwise result in a loss of valuable renewable generation.
'Secure and stable energy supply is a fundamental need of a prosperous economy. As well as the potential economic benefit to local and national businesses during construction, the proposed development would provide further benefit to the economy through its contribution to underpinning energy security and flexibility.'
Midlothian councillors wrote to the Energy Consent Unit, which is responsible for decisions about BESS applications, to raise their concern about it being placed on a 12-hectare field behind the school campus, which includes Dalkeith and St Davids High Schools as well as Saltersgate School and Woodburn Primary School.
Councillor Ellen Scott, SNP administration education spokesperson, told a meeting of the planning committee in December that there had been an explosion and major fire in Merseyside four years ago at a battery storage unit where it was reported the temperature on the site rose to 40 degrees Celsius within two minutes.
She said: 'This site is just 70 metres from the edge of the school's campus where 2500 of our young people, some very young at three years old and some with severe complex needs, are going to be.'
Her comments were supported by Councillor Dianne Alexander, who also said the site was over a 'coal seam and gas pipe'.
She said: 'I just think this is too dangerous for us to allow.'
The proposals for the site include a BESS with a capacity of 200 megawatts with 168 storage containers spread across four compounds. Thecontainers will be used to house Lithium-ion batteries and the compounds will be hard surfaced and enclosed with three metre high fencing.
The report to councillors next week says: 'The Scottish Ministers in making their determination on the application, have balanced all relevant considerations, decided what weight is to be given to each and reached a view as to where the balance of benefit lies.
'On balance, it is considered that the impacts of the proposed development are acceptable in the context of its benefits, and that the development is supported by relevant planning and energy policies.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Press and Journal
20 minutes ago
- Press and Journal
Watch: President Donald Trump raises fist as he arrives at Balmedie for crunch talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Donald Trump has touched down in Aberdeenshire – with his children and grandchildren – ahead of crunch talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney. The 79-year-old politician raised a fist aloft to gathered media representatives as he stepped off a military helicopter at his Balmedie estate. The US president has been on a four-day trip in Scotland, beginning with a stay at his Turnberry resort where he enjoyed some golf on Saturday. Combining pleasure with business, he met the President of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen while there and agreed a new trade deal. He is now expected to have 'private engagement' with the prime minister before meeting First Minister John Swinney as well. A highlight of his trip, however, is the opening of the second Trump International Golf Links course, which son Eric previously said would be 'one of the best in the world'. The two leaders arrived at RAF Lossiemouth at around 6pm on Monday, following a busy day at Turnberry. During a press briefing there, President Trump backed North Sea oil and gas following desperate pleas from north-east business leaders for the billionaire's backing. The pair landed at the Moray airbase in Air Force One, and from there boarded the Marine One helicopter to the Menie Estate. The copter touched down on a helipad just yards from MacLeod House, the lodge at the resort named after the US leader's Scottish mum. Bagpipers from Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen greeted Donald Trump as he arrived in Aberdeenshire shortly before 7pm, with Keir Starmer by his side. Uniformed servicemen saluted the leaders as they stepped off the aircraft, while Mr Trump saluted back before raising a triumphant fist as he greeted onlookers. It came just hours after protestors gathered at Balmedie to demonstrate against the president, with police lining the beach to prevent any from climbing the dunes onto the golf course. As well as official business however, this trip appears to be a family affair for the president as Donald Trump's children and grandchildren were spotted arriving in Aberdeenshire too. Donald Junior was seen stepping off a US helicopter along with Eric and their spouses. The president's grandchildren Tristan and Chloe exchanged high fives with Donald Junior on the lawn. Guests there for the occasion included Scottish golfing great Colin Montgomerie, who is hosting the PGA Seniors Championship at Menie later this week. Aberdeenshire aristocrat and businessman George Aberdeen was on hand too to greet Donald Trump. Mr Aberdeen is the founder and managing partner of Kinrise, a UK real-estate company that works to revitalise historic buildings and bring them back into use. His family has been looking after the Haddo Estate in Tarves for more than 550 years. John Swinney will also join the two leaders at a private dinner on Tuesday night. A Scottish Government spokesman said the dinner would 'provide the First Minister with an opportunity to advance the interests of Scotland to the President of the United States'.
Press and Journal
21 minutes ago
- Press and Journal
Protestors rally near Donald Trump's Balmedie golf course with signs saying 'make Aberdeenshire great again'
Protestors marched in Balmedie, just a stone's throw from Donald Trump's Aberdeenshire golf course, to protest the US president's visit. Mr Trump is currently in Scotland on a four-day 'private' trip, visiting his golf courses in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire. He arrived in the north-east this evening, along with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The highly publicised trip is atypical for a sitting US president to make, but Mr Trump is here to open his latest golf course, Trump International Scotland, near Balmedie. The Macleod course is named after his Scottish mother and has been in the works for years. However, Mr Trump's visit to Aberdeenshire has been met with backlash and protests, along with heightened security in several places, including Lossiemouth and Balmedie. Dozens of protestors marched from the White Horse Bar down to the border of the US President's golf course. Jenna Halpin, from Aberdeen, also attended a previous protest in the city at the weekend. She said: 'I am disgusted that this visit has been allowed to be honest. 'The fact that it's costing so many millions of pounds for this man to go on a golf jolly is ridiculous. 'There is so much going on in the world. The fact is he and Starmer are sitting having lunch while children in Gaza starve. 'Everything about the man stinks, and we need to show him he is not welcome here.' Jenna says people who have been quiet before are now speaking out. Protestors brought an array of creative signs on their march, including inventing the term 'MAGA' into 'Make Aberdeenshire Great Again'. Others included 'Children starve, Trump plays golf' and 'Food not bombs'. Two protestors even brought Trump-themed toilet brushes with them. Luca Quinn told the Press and Journal why he decided to come from Fife to protest. He said: 'I just wanted the opportunity to show that we Scots want nothing to do with Donald Trump. 'Having him in our country goes against everything I hold dear. 'The state of his country at the moment, he should really be there and not coming anywhere near ours.' Luca added: 'It's infuriating the number of police officers here today. 'He should be footing the bill himself.' Many of the protestors echoed those same thoughts that the money spent on policing and security could have been better spent. One protester said: 'Trump is the figurehead for a lot of the awful things going on in the world at the moment, and we should not be inviting him into our country. 'Security has been really over the top. 'Considering he's only spending 24 hours at Balmedie, the beach has been shut for four days. 'It doesn't seem proportionate.' The latest demonstration comes after a large protest took place over the weekend in Aberdeen city centre. A crowd gathered outside Union Terrace Gardens to voice their opposition to the visit, with key north-east representatives including MSP Maggie Chapman in attendance.
Press and Journal
21 minutes ago
- Press and Journal
EXCLUSIVE: Aberdeen council's 'urgent' Raac plea was left unanswered for weeks by Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan
A desperate plea on behalf of Raac-affected Torry families to the SNP's housing secretary went unanswered for almost six weeks, the Press and Journal can exclusively reveal. Through information obtained by Freedom of Information requests as part of our , we discovered that a letter sent from Aberdeen City Council to the newly appointed cabinet secretary on June 17 describes the Granite City's housing situation as a crisis. The correspondence occurred just days after the First Minister named Màiri McAllan as the replacement for previous housing minister, Paul McLennan. Here's the situation as we understand it. A letter, sent by email from SNP councillor Miranda Radley on June 17, requests an urgent meeting with Ms McAllan in Balnagask. Ms Radley said she wanted the opportunity so the Scottish Government could outline the support it can offer to the local authority, its tenants and private homeowners. She said many, 'through no fault of their own, find themselves in unsafe conditions.' Ms Radley, convener of the communities, housing and public protection committee, also noted the tenuous position the city council is in regarding its buyback scheme. She said only 10% of the 138 privately owned properties have been sold back to the council, conceding that 'there are signs that they are unlikely to commit to any option they [the homeowners] have to financially contribute towards.' A day after Aberdeen's urgent call for Scottish Government support, Ms McAllan spoke on the Holyrood floor. She responded to North-east Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr, who called for an unused and all but inaccessible pot of £20m Scottish Government housing cash to be made available to help victims of Raac. Aberdeen City Council also requested that the Scottish Government consider reclassifying this Housing Infrastructure Fund cash, after numerous applications by Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Councils failed to access the money for other housing bids. 'For the government's part,' she added, 'my officials have received and are considering Aberdeen City Council's request for the Housing Infrastructure Fund to be repurposed to allow the local authority to support Raac efforts. 'I am getting advice on that currently and ministers will make a decision on that proposal in due course.' At the time, her response offered a lifeline of hope to Raac homeowners in Aberdeen facing financial ruin, especially when she added she would be 'glad to meet' with Torry residents. That same day, June 18, Ms McAllan penned a letter to Angela Rayner, UK Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing. In that letter, she asked the UK Government to take the lead on putting in place financial arrangements, on a cross-UK basis, to support programmes of remediation. Ms McAllan said she 'stands ready' to work with the UK Government on such a scheme and would be grateful if she could meet with Ms Rayner in 'early course'. More than a month on, we wondered what progress has been made regarding Raac, and the reclassification of the £20m Housing Infrastructure Fund. We sent an email on the morning of July 22 asking Ms McAllan if a decision had yet been made on the £20m, and if and when she will visit Balnagask. That evening, we received the following response. She said: 'I recognise the difficulty and stress being experienced by those affected by RAAC and that is why I am committed to engaging with the UK Government, local authorities and campaign groups to progress solutions.' Adding that she's recently met with Dundee Council and had offered a date to meet with Dundee families next month, she said she'd do the same for those in Aberdeen. Ms McAllan continued: 'The Scottish Government has repeatedly called on the UK Government to make available a dedicated RAAC remediation fund, but they have failed to do so. I made this call in my letter to the deputy prime minister in June. I am deeply disappointed in her response.' Her response to The Press and Journal also included that she 'expects all social landlords to be engaging with their tenants and developing plans to remediate RAAC in their homes. The Scottish Government remains closely engaged in this work.' With no mention of the £20m in the cabinet secretary's response, we were keen to find out the specific progress of the fund's reclassification – or indeed why there seems to have been a hold up. We asked for clarification. We were informed that the complexity of the situation required additional information which Aberdeen City Council has been asked to send to the cabinet secretary. This information is yet to be received by the Scottish Government. However, for clarity, we checked when the Scottish Government asked Aberdeen City Council for this additional information. A request was sent from the Scottish Government on July 22, around two hours after The Press and Journal requested a progress update on the fund reclassification. The Torry Community Raac Campaign group said they aren't surprised by the lack of urgency towards Aberdeen's Raac-affected families. A spokesperson said: 'We're deeply disappointed by the lack of urgency in the cabinet secretary coming to meet with us, but unfortunately, not surprised. 'Her comments in Holyrood last month gave Balnagask residents a glimmer of hope after months of being ignored. 'Her predecessor at least came to see the situation firsthand but ultimately did nothing. The same playbook is being followed: delay, deflect, and deny responsibility. 'Why the endless procrastination? Why ask Aberdeen City Council for more information only after media pressure? It feels like yet another cynical attempt by the minister to kick the can down the road while lives remain in limbo. 'We are tired of warm words in parliament and cold inaction in practice. The time for talking is over. We need a housing secretary willing to act — and act now.' An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: 'The Scottish Government is exploring how it might support Aberdeen City Council and we are continuing to respond to a variety of questions from civil servants as and when they arise.' Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, told us she had also recently corresponded with her SNP colleague, the cabinet secretary, on RAAC. Adding, 'like others, I am keen that this issue can be resolved in as timely a manner as possible.' North-east Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said he was previously 'heartened' when Ms McAllan offered 'a ray of hope for the people of Balnagask' regarding the promise to look at the reclassification of funds. He added: 'But this isn't some tissue-thin commitment which can be forgotten about, until the media ask. It is a government minister's word, on the official record of the Scottish Parliament, in black and white. 'At the beginning of the parliamentary term, I will request a statement from Ms McAllan, outlining what she has actually done for Torry RAAC victims.' Since publication, we were made aware that on July 28th, an hour before we published our original article on The Press and Journal website, a reply to Ms Radley's email was sent by the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Ms McAllan. The response, almost six weeks on from Aberdeen's urgent Raac plea on June 17, offers some hope to Balnagask's Raac homeowners in that she said the request to 'repurpose monies' is under 'urgent consideration.' However, there was no response to Ms Radley's invitation to visit Aberdeen's Raac residents as a matter of urgency. Full letter here:
