Bowenhurst BESS goes to Appeal 

This is the Battery Storage Facility planned north of the Odiham Road

25/01186/FUL Battery storage facility with ancillary infrastructure, including security fencing, access, landscaping and biodiversity enhancements to provide balancing services to the local electricity grid (Amended)

Appeal ref: 6012351

The appeal will be determined on the basis of written representations.

If you wish to make comments, or modify/withdraw your previous representation, you can do so online at

https://appeal-planning-decision.service.gov.uk/…/enter…

All representations must be received by 13th August 2026. Any previous objections will also be available to the inspector.

In case you are unaware of what battery storage is:

A battery energy storage system (BESS) is a site containing dozens or even hundreds of large battery units — often lithium ion, but increasingly sodium ion or flow batteries — connected to the electricity grid. Each unit is roughly the size of a shipping container.

These systems can:

* Store excess renewable energy when solar or wind generation is high

* Release energy back to the grid during peak demand

* Stabilise grid frequency within milliseconds

* Provide backup power during outages or low renewable output

What a battery storage farm looks like? Most sites include:

* Battery containers (the main storage units)

* Inverters to convert DC battery power to AC grid power

* Transformers to step voltage up or down

* Control systems that manage charging, discharging, and safety

They are usually fenced, and monitored remotely.

Battery storage farms near existing settlements typically raise six major categories of concern — noise, fire risk, water pollution, landscape impact, and access — each of which has been highlighted in UK planning cases, fire‑service reports, and environmental assessments