Plans to construct a battery energy storage facility adjacent to a Somerset travellers’ site have been refused by local council officials citing road safety issues.
Enray Power Ltd submitted an application in April 2025 to develop the facility at St George’s Cross Farm on Berkley Lane, located on the northeastern edge of Frome near the Commerce Park enterprise zone and the busy A361 road.
The proposed site was only a few hundred yards from the Pines Residential site, which had recently seen plans for expansion rejected by councillors in early April.
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The council’s decision to reject the battery storage facility centered on the conclusion that safe vehicular access could not be guaranteed. Officials expressed concerns that the proposals would cause “inconvenience to all users of the route,” making the location unsuitable for the development.
This latest refusal follows a similar case less than six months earlier, when the council lost an appeal concerning a battery storage facility on Styles Close, approximately two miles away.
Battery energy storage facilities function by absorbing power from the National Grid during periods of low demand, storing it, and releasing it back during higher demand, thereby supporting grid reliability.
The selected site sits at the corner of Berkley Lane and Dark Lane, east of the A361 and near the railway line. The planned facility would have an operational capacity of 60MW—double the capacity of the Styles Close project—and was designed to operate for 40 years.
Access was proposed from Berkley Lane, with plans to install security fencing, CCTV, and a water tank for equipment cooling.
A representative from Stephenson Halliday, the applicant’s agent, emphasized the importance of the project in addressing climate change and energy security. They stated, “The UK government and Somerset Council have declared a climate emergency, and the need to meet emissions reduction targets remains more important than ever. The increase in energy security, and the contribution the proposed development would have in facilitating renewable energy production in the UK energy mix, would outweigh the totality of any adverse impacts the proposed development might result in.”
However, Councillor Adam Boyden, representing Frome North where the site is located, strongly opposed the plans. He highlighted concerns that construction would require removing recently installed roadblocks designed to prevent fly-tipping, undermining years of efforts costing the council approximately £200,000 since 2014. He noted the local community’s support for these measures and expressed disappointment that the development could reverse progress.
Unlike a decision by the public planning committee, the plans were refused by the council’s planning officers under delegated powers. Bill Cotton, interim service director of planning, explained, “Inadequate information has been submitted to satisfy us that a satisfactory means of access to the site can be achieved. The approach roads, due to restricted width and poor alignment, are considered unsuitable for the traffic likely to be generated. The development would cause vehicular traffic along a highway with severely limited access, resulting in loss of amenity and increased hazards for all users.”
Enray Power Ltd has yet to confirm whether it intends to appeal the council’s refusal.