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Bromsgrove Planning Committee – Goodrest Farm BESS Deferred

Following our complaints about the short notice, and with assistance from County Councillor Karen May, the agenda item for the Planning Committee on 5th June has been deferred.

The Head of Planning is has issued a statement:

“There was an oversight on the part of Officers about the availability of all interested parties for the scheduled 5th June planning committee.

In these circumstances the Assistant Director for Planning has considered it appropriate to defer this application to a later meeting.”

Karen May has requested again confirmation of when this application will now go to planning committee. She has been told that this confirmation will come forward next week.

 

Illey Brook Farm BESS Appeal Decision

The Planning Inspectorate have now issued the result of the Illey Brook Farm BESS appeal and it has been approved on the basis that “very special circumstances exist”. A copy of the appeal decision can be found here 3345744 – Appeal Decision

BESS Update 28th January 2025

We have been informed that Grenergy are revising their planning application to take into account any changes in the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) issued in December, and re-submitting it to Bromsgrove Planning. This means that once submitted there will be another consultation period, so it is unlikely that it will be on the Bromsgrove Planning Committee agenda before April at the earliest. We will keep you informed as we get further information.

Say No to BESS Poster

The poster produced following the residents meeting at the Cricket Club on 2nd January can be found here:  Say No Poster

Halesmere Estate Briefing

We have been in contact with residents on the Halesmere Estate to canvass support for our claims that the Goodrest Farm BESS site presents a flooding risk downstream. A briefing has been prepared for them so that they can access it via their local WhatsApp group.A copy of the briefing is here:  Halesmere Briefing

Bradley Thomas MP – Letter and Survey

Bradley Thomas has also written to residents advising that he is objecting to the BESS application and the letter contains a link to a survey he is conducting on residents views on the application. A copy of the letter can be found here: Bradley Thomas BESS Letter and a direct link to the survey is also provided here: SURVEY.

BESS Update 4th December – Objection from Bradley Thomas MP

Dear Resident – Please note that our MP for  Bromsgrove (Bradley Thomas) has sent a letter of objection to Sue Hanley, the Chief Executive of Bromsgrove Council. The letter can be viewed here: Bradley Thomas Objection

Parish Council Meeting 28th October

Thank you to all who attended the Parish Council meeting on Monday 28th October where we had a good discussion regarding the BESS application. A few of actions arose from this, firstly the BESS application at Feckenham was raised and it is available on thre planning Portal under .23/00417/Ful.
 
We also agreed to deliver a flyer to every residence to empahasise the importance of lodging an objection, along with guidance of how to do so. The flyer has been delivered and is also available here: BESS Newsletter
 
We agreed that the Bromsgrove Planning Committe could be approached individually. After discussion HPC decided that whilst appropriate, it is too early to do so at this stage as the decision date is looking more likely to be in January. We will send out details of the Committee (including email addresses) when we know that they have sight of the agenda and the full details of the planning application.
 
For those that wish to canvass our local MP the email address is: bradley.thomas.mp@parliament.uk
 
HPC is also a consultee and an editorial group has been formed to draft a detailed response. Some consultee responses may also give answers to some of the residents questions (e.g. North Worcestershire Water Management ) and
we agreed to advise when Consultee comments have been lodged. To date there has been 8 consultee responses and these now include:
  • Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service – neutral response with important caveats
  • Environment Agency – neutral response with guidance
  • Conservation Officer – neutral response
  • North Worcestershire Water Management – objection 
  • Worcestershire Highways Bromsgrove – objection
  • Natural England – no objection
  • WCC Countryside Service – neutral with caveats
  • Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service – neutral with caveats

The consultee resposes can be found on the Portal under the tab “Comments” which is then split into “Public Comments” and “Consultee Comments”. Some consultee comments are shown as text, while others say “See Public Access”. These are then shown on the main “Documents Page” as a sepaerate document:

 

Battery Storage Plant Application – Important Update 17th October

After discussion with the Planning Officer, please note  that the formal dealine to submit comments and objections on the Planning Portal is 8th November. However there is some flexibility as comments may be submitted up to the determination of the application.  As the application is a major development, the final decision will be made by the planning committee, although no date has yet been set.  There is flexibility to provide comments after the specified dealine but recommends these to be made within the next 4-5 weeks which is 21st November at the latest. A link to the planning portal is provided below, and the reference number is 24/00960/FUL. Please also note that you have to register on the portal to submit any comments.
 
 
Several residents have requested guidance on topics relevent to the application and though not extensive these include:
 
  • Harm to the Green Belt – notably innappropriateness and encroachment
  • Potential for multiple BESS sites on the  same Green Belt, Lowlands Farm, Illey Brook Farm and Goodrest Farm
  • Historical environment and Heritage – e.g. footpaths such as Monarch’s Way, Illey Way
  • Quality of the countryside and contribution to well being (walking area)
  • Fragmentation of the countryside
  • Ecological and wildlife impact, bio diversity
  • Close proximity to residential properties
  • Fire & explosion risk
  • Toxicity and Pollotion particularly when associated with the above.
  • Noise Pollution
  • Flood risk
  • Terrorist threat
It is also possible to submit comments by post to:
Town Hall
Walter Stranz Square
Redditch
B98 8AH
And by email to:  newplan@bromsgroveandredditch.go.uk