Hertsmere Borough Council will tell the planning inspector that it would have approved a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on land near Hillfield Lane in Aldenham if it had not run out of time to make a decision.
Members of the council’s planning committee were tasked with deciding a position to go to the inspector with at a meeting last Thursday (August 21).
The applicant, BW ESS Development UK Ltd, had brought forward an appeal to the inspector of non-determination, with no decision made on whether to approve or reject the application within the limit of 13 weeks.
The 2.4-hectare application site is next to the M1 and 150 metres away from the Elstree Substation, which the BESS would connect to. BESSs store energy for later use.
Once built, the site will be home to 80 three-metre-tall battery containers, two water tanks and a surrounding three-metre-tall fence.
Council officers deemed the site to be Grey Belt rather than Green Belt on the grounds that it does not strongly contribute to the key purposes of the Green Belt.
Malcolm Sevren, chair of Patchetts Green Residents’ Association, said those living nearby are “deeply concerned” by the proposal. He said there was no “demonstrable unmet need” for the BESS, and called for it to have a second access point rather than a single access point from Hillfield Lane.
Cllr Glenn Briski, speaking as a community advocate, said the development is “unwanted by our community” and would give “no benefit” to nearby residents.
Worries about access were raised by several committee members, with Cllr Natalie Susman describing it as a “grave concern”.
She warned that if there was heavy traffic in the area, it could prevent emergency access to the site if there were a fire, while Cllr Maxie Allen asked officers whether there was any way to ensure the development would have a second access road.
Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service did not object to the proposals, but councillors agreed to provide an “informative” to the planning inspector outlining their concerns around fire safety and access.
A council officer told committee members that they would decide the position taken by the authority with the planning inspector, with a vote in favour of approval likely seeing a final decision made without the need for a public inquiry.
The committee voted eight to three to agree with the recommendation from officers that they would have granted planning permission had they not run out of time to make a decision.
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