Battery plant on greenbelt approved despite hundreds of objections

A plan to store energy in batteries on greenbelt land in Eaglesham, which sparked over 300 objections, has been approved.

Cheshire-based firm GPC 1337 Ltd can build and run a 40MW battery energy storage facility on an agricultural site at the east side of Glasgow Road.

A previous application had been refused after councillors raised concerns over the risk of fire from lithium-ion batteries.

The company returned with a new plan, which council planners once again recommended for approval — but over 300 people opposed the scheme.

Among the objectors was local MSP Jackson Carlaw, Conservative, who said the greenbelt should be protected and the proposed development is “intrusive and inappropriate”

He also said there were “very serious concerns and real-life examples of fires that have erupted at battery plants because of the lithium-ion batteries”.

However, the plan was approved by East Renfrewshire’s planning committee on the casting vote of the chair, Cllr Betty Cunningham, Labour, after a 3-3 vote.

Surplus energy from the national grid will be stored in batteries to be returned when required. It is described as a “temporary” installation, with the site returned to its previous condition after 40 years.

The firm has said the development will “support the decarbonisation of the energy industry in the UK”. It added 28 other sites have been considered, but this is “the only deliverable, viable” one.

“The planning application is accompanied by a suite of technical documents which demonstrate the proposal will not lead to significant adverse harm,” the plans stated.

At the planning committee meeting, Cllr Jim McLean, Conservative, said: “How can this be classed as a renewable energy project because at the moment 50% of Scotland’s energy is provided by nuclear, which will be fed into the substation then fed out?

“They can’t guarantee that the energy going into the batteries is green.”

He also asked why it would connect to a substation at Giffnock rather than a closer one.

A council official said the planning system has to “assess the suitability of this site” and any “expenses that the applicant may go to to connect to the substation” is “not part of this process”.

He added: “As Scotland moves to more and more energy produced by renewables, it will need these facilities to store the energy for periods of peak demand.”

Another official added: “I think it’s important to recognise that the stability of the grid at the moment is generally maintained through the baseload which is generated through nuclear and so on.

“The longer-term trajectory for Scotland is that more and more of our energy will come from renewable sources, and those renewable sources are largely onshore and offshore wind.

“Those are by nature unstable power sources, so as we move towards a more renewable system, it is essential that we have the battery backup that enables us to essentially replace that baseload generation that was previously there in order to maintain a balance within the grid.”

Cllr Andrew Morrison, Conservative, moved to refuse the application, stating: “In my own judgement, I don’t think we’ve ticked the box that it has to be a greenbelt location.”

However, independent Cllr Annette Ireland said the scheme should be approved. The vote was tied, and Cllr Cunningham used her casting vote to grant permission.

Officials had reported the new plans differ from the original as more information has been submitted on fire safety and a water tank is now proposed to be underground. Consent from Scottish Water is still required.

They added that the development includes specialised container units for the batteries and fire suppression equipment.

The initial plan, which was refused in October last year, could also be approved if an appeal to the Scottish Government is successful. It is currently under consideration.