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Daily Record
8 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Council backs plan for battery energy storage facility at site of former hotel
The application site in Crawfordjohn, Biggar, extends to some 2.6 hectares and comprises the former Red Moss Hotel. Plans for a battery energy storage facility located at the site of a former hotel have been supported by South Lanarkshire Council, despite concern that it could be a fire hazard and open the gates for many more similar applications. An application was made to the Scottish Government under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. The application site in Crawfordjohn, Biggar, extends to some 2.6 hectares and comprises the former Red Moss Hotel and truck stop to the immediate south side of the B7078. The land is currently occupied by the buildings and ancillary parking areas associated with the former hotel, together with vacant land previously in use as a truck stop. The site is bounded by remote moorland on all sides, with the M74 lying approximately 850m to the north of the site. It is currently accessed from a lay-by off the B7078. A planning application submitted by Scottish Power for the erection of a 400kV/132kV electricity substation on land directly opposite the site is currently under consideration. The operational Middle Muir Wind Farm is located approximately 2.2km to the west of the site and the operational Andershaw Wind Farm approximately 1.5km south-west. An application has been made to the Scottish Government under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for the erection of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with a storage capacity of up to 342 megawatts (MW) and associated infrastructure. The application has been made to the Energy Consents Unit within the Scottish Government which is responsible for the administration of the process including carrying out the necessary publicity and consultation and the decision-making process. The council are a statutory consultee in this process and not the consenting authority. The proposed development comprises the following key elements: 148 batteries within storage containers grouped into blocks of four 74 transformers (two per block of four batteries) 132kV substation A grid transformer situated within the on-site substation; cabling and connection to the compound and cabling connecting to the proposed Redshaw Substation Cut and fill earthworks to enable landscaping and drainage mitigation. There will also be 2m palisade fencing erected around the site boundary to restrict access to the site, together with CCTV at regular intervals. The site will be accessed from the existing slipway leading on to the B7078 which is located at the northern boundary. It is intended the BESS will connect to the proposed Redshaw substation located to the northwest of the site. The purpose of energy storage facilities is to import and store power during periods of oversupply from renewable energy. This power is exported back to the grid at periods of low renewable energy generations or high usage requirements. The installation will cover a temporary period of 35 years following which, the battery infrastructure will be decommissioned and removed from site. Cllr Ross Lambie said: 'The site is in close proximity to existing electrical grad infrastructure and it is just a pylon that passes through the area. I am a little nervous about us setting that as a principle that you can negate concerns of the green belt being industrialised if there is a pylon nearby and they can connect on to. If we as a planning committee adopt that as principle it opens up great swathes of rural Lanarkshire to battery storage applications if they have a pylon line passing through them.' A planning official said the site was not within the greenbelt and other applications had been refused in areas where there were considered not to be strategic employment generators. Cllr Mary Donnelly said: 'This has come up quite a few times in my ward and it is being reported to local groups that where there are battery energy storage systems they have actually gone on fire, are we mindful that they could be a fire hazard?' An official said this was not a planning consideration but consideration in her ward for battery energy storage systems were very different from the Red Moss one. It was agreed to tell the Scottish Government that there were no objections to the granting of consent for the facility. The Head of Planning and Regulatory Services was authorised to undertake any discussions with the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit including in relation to conditions to be attached to the consent if required. *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Falmouth planning decisions: Felling of rotten tree and rooftop unit at uni building
The latest planning decisions from the Cornwall Council have brought a mix of approvals, rejections, and withdrawals for developments in Falmouth and the surrounding area. Here is a round-up of some of them - from house extension plans to tree pruning. Rooftop unit to be installed at university building A rooftop air handling unit and flue are set to be installed at the Camborne School of Mines in Penryn. The new equipment will aid in the internal refurbishment of the building. Conditional planning permission was granted by Cornwall Council for the development, which is planned to take place at the Tremough Campus of Falmouth University and Exeter University. The application for the installation was submitted on January 14, 2025. The applicant for this project is Ms L Gambardella-Strapp from FXPlus Estates, and the architectural firm Stride Treglown is serving as the agent. The project is exempt from the Community Infrastructure Levy due to its size. National Grid given go-ahead to upgrade power lines National Grid has received permission to upgrade existing overhead power lines. The project will involve adding a new section of an 11kV overhead line to a new transformer, which will then connect to a low-voltage underground cable. This development, taking place at Boswidjack Farm, Constantine, was approved by Cornwall Council, with no objections from Constantine Parish Council. The council confirmed no conditions or modifications were needed for the project. The upgrade, under Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, does not require a public inquiry before a decision is reached by the Secretary of State. Application for non-material amendments withdrawn A planning application for non-material amendments to a Falmouth property has been withdrawn. The application, submitted by Mr Reeve of Boscawen Road, proposed modifications including a new air source heat pump, new external wall insulation with a render finish, and changes to existing windows, roof slate, and balcony guarding. The proposed amendments were linked to a prior decision notice dated June 7, 2024. The application, numbered PA25/01310, was managed by Marraum Ltd, a company based in Penryn. Cornwall Council's planning department confirmed the withdrawal of the application on March 20. No further information about the reason for the withdrawal has been disclosed. Application to cut down protected tree in Falmouth withdrawn An application to cut down a sycamore tree in Falmouth has been withdrawn. The tree, located at 2 Kergilliack Cottages, was under a Tree Preservation Order (TPO). The proposal also included lifting the crown of another sycamore to a height of four metres. Cornwall Council confirmed the withdrawal of the application, initially submitted by Mr R Courage. Mr Nigel Bird, of Loggerhedz, acted as the agent for the application. The application, which fell under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, was withdrawn on March 17. No reasons for the withdrawal were disclosed by the council. Rotten tree to be cut Permission has been granted to fell an infected horse chestnut tree under a preservation order. The tree, located at the rear of 8 Prislow Close, Falmouth, was approved for removal by Cornwall Council due to being rotten and infected. The council stipulated that the tree work must be completed within two years from March 19, 2025. The decision was made under application number PA25/01718 and was submitted on March 4, 2025. The applicant, Mr Matthew Rose, has been instructed to plant an apple tree within three metres of the felled tree's stump within two years of its removal.
