PLANS to build a battery storage facility in Aspatria that could power almost 162,000 homes have been recommended for approval.

The development would include a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), together with associated cable route and infrastructure, site levelling works, site access, landscaping, and ancillary works.

It was first put forward to Cumberland Council on behalf of Net Zero Seventeen Limited in April this year. 

The application site comprises 7.4 hectares of agricultural land. 

According to the original design and access statement, "the benefits are seen on a national scale and beyond, constituting renewable energy infrastructure that serves the national grid and helps contribute to towards the Government Net Zero target." 

"The proposed development will also facilitate the storage of electrical energy to power approximately 161,897 homes for two hours... 129 per cent of the total households within Cumberland."

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"Current BESS battery technology is estimated to have a lifetime cycle of circa 10 years, but continues to improve. The application is based on an operational lifespan of 40 years," it reads.

Seven objections have been raised on the Cumberland Council planning portal. 

Under the prerequisites of the approval, the development construction must commence within the next five years.

A detailed Biodiversity Management and Monitoring Plan is also required as well as additional criteria to include the establishment of a surface water drainage scheme, submission of a Road Safety Audit, and a revised Construction Traffic Management Plan.

Furthermore, prior to the development being brought into use, acoustic fences must be installed to mitigate noise levels. 

A detailed Battery Safety Management Plan covering the construction, operation, and decommissioning phases of the development is also crucial.

The planning report reads: "The benefits towards a net-zero carbon future must be given substantial weight, as must its contribution towards sustainable development due to it meeting the environmental role of sustainable development. The principle of development is therefore acceptable.

"Taking into account the scale and technical specifications of the proposed development, and the existing man-made structures in the vicinity, officers do not consider that the proposed development would have a significant impact on the landscape, the residential amenity of the occupiers of neighbouring properties in terms of visual amenity and noise, highway safety, drainage, flood risk or ecology," it states.

A final decision on the plans will be made at Cumberland Council's upcoming planning committee meeting on September 4.