PLANS for a proposed battery storage facility to the north of Carlisle have been approved by councillors.

Members of Cumberland Council's planning committee discussed the proposal at a meeting at Allerdale House in Workington on Wednesday (March 13).

Blyth-based CSWE 4 Ltd (Windel) Energy and Recurrent Energy had submitted the planning application for a site between the villages of Todhills and Westlinton.

As well as the storage facility the development will include associated infrastructure, access, landscaping and a buried cable grid connection route.

The application site, whose current use agricultural fields, is located on land to the north east of Pine Glen and accessed off a local unnamed road.

Helen Stocks, the applicant's agent, told members that the facility would connect to the national grid at Harker sub-station and noise would be minimised with the use of acoustic fencing.

Councillor Roger Dobson (Corby and Hayton, Lib Dems) asked what type of battery would be used and he was told by planning officer Barbara Percival that it would be lithium ion.

Cllr Dobson said there were concerns about the risk of fire, but the fire and rescue service had raised no objections, and added: "Shouls we be concerned about that?"

Ms Percival said that the applicant would be required to submit a fire management plan as a condition of the planning permission.

Councillor Jimmy Grisdale (Seaton, Labour) proposed that they approve the application and it was unanimously approved subject to a number of conditions.

According to a planning statement the site is around 1km to the south west of Todhills and 780m north east of Westlinton and the report states: "The site has good access links, with the A7 and the M6 located in reasonable proximity to the site."

The main application site includes three fields, measuring approximately 6.4 hectares and the report states: "It comprises two agricultural fields to the east and the field to the west, is improved grassland.

"The south eastern field will be utilised to provide an emergency access route. The full red line boundary, including the buried grid connection cable route, which this application seeks permission for, measures approximately 10.9 hectares.

"The fields comprising the battery storage site are bordered mainly by hedgerows with field gates and there are intermittently mature trees forming the northern boundary of the eastern fields.

"The fields are relatively flat with minor undulations. There are woodland blocks in the area, to the west of the application site, to the north-west and to the south and south-west."

The applicant seeks full planning permission to construct and operate the battery energy storage system (BESS) for a five-year commencement period from the date of decision and the report adds: "The application form submitted requests this, and a relevant planning condition would be required to control this."

According to the report the applicant is one of the world’s largest and most geographically diversified utility-scale solar and energy storage project development, ownership and operations platforms.

Recurrent Energy completed the development of nine gigawatts (GWp) of operating utility-scale solar projects and three gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy storage projects across six continents.

The report states: "They have more than 25 GWp of solar and 47 GWh of battery storage projects under development.

"Windel Energy, founded in 2018, is a privately held company that specialises in the development and asset management of renewable energy projects and low carbon disruptive technologies.

"The applicants are working to bring the site forward, in agreeing lease agreements for the site that will require the site to be restored to its original condition, following the operational life of the development.

"The proposed buried grid connection cable route runs through Rockcliffe parish council, whereas the battery storage site is located in Westlinton parish council."