Strategic tracking and consultation responses for Battery Energy Storage Systems within the county.

I am requesting information held by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) regarding the strategic tracking and consultation responses for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) within the county.

Specifically, please provide:

1. Strategic Tracking: Any lists, spreadsheets, or internal databases maintained by the Planning, Growth, or Economy departments that track proposed, pending, or pre-application BESS projects within Lincolnshire.

2. Statutory Consultations: A list of all consultation requests received from District Councils (as the Local Planning Authority) or the Planning Inspectorate (for NSIPs) regarding BESS developments in the last 24 months.

3. Fire and Rescue Strategy: Any formal correspondence or reports between LCC Planning and the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service regarding the cumulative safety risks of BESS deployments on rural agricultural land.

4. Grid Infrastructure: Any records of meetings or correspondence between LCC and National Grid (or NESO) from 2024 to the present regarding the location of new substations required to facilitate BESS "Net Export" from the county.

5. Pre-Application Advice: While I understand pre-application advice for specific developers may be commercially sensitive, I request the number of BESS-related pre-application enquiries LCC has been consulted on in the 2024 and 2025 calendar years.

1. Lincolnshire County Council’s (LCC’s) Planning Service do not hold any lists, spreadsheets, or internal databases that specifically track BESS projects in Lincolnshire.  We do track NSIP scale solar projects that have BESS associated with them as part of the scheme. There is a publicly available list of these NSIP scale solar projects available on our website here:

https://lincolnshire.planning-register.co.uk/Search/Results

2. LCC’s Planning Service, as the Minerals and Waste Planning Authority, have records of 10 consultation requests regarding mineral safeguarding received from District Councils regarding BESS developments in the last 24 months, as follows:

South Kesteven District Council (SKDC):

• Land To The South of Foxdale, Oasby, Grantham – SKDC Ref: S25/0859
• Land East Of The B6403 High Dike , Stoke Rochford, Grantham – SKDC Ref: S25/1534
• Land At High Dike Road Londonthorpe – SKDC Ref: S23/2199
• Pastures Farm High Dike Welby – SKDC Ref: S24/1040
• Canners Lane Energy Park located at Land East High Dike – SKDC Ref: S25/0637

North Kesteven District Council (NKDC):

• Land To The South Of Green Man Road Navenby - NKDC Ref: 25/0491/FUL
• Land To The South Of Hill Rise West Of Coleby And North Of Navenby – NDC Ref: 25/0533/FUL
• Land Northwest Of Meardsall Lane Swinderby -  NKDC Ref: 24/1018/FUL

West Lindsey District Council (WLDC):

• Land At Barker Farm, Stow Park Road, Stow Park, Lincoln – WLDC Ref: WL/2024/00395

East Lindsey District Council (ELDC): 

• Chandlers Farm Equipment Limited Boston Road Horncastle – ELDC Ref: 00107/26/FUL

LCC’s Historic Environment Team have records of the following consultations, 11 in total:

South Holland District Council (SHDC):

• Land at Fendyke Farm off Old Fendyke, Sutton St James, Spalding – SHDC Ref: PE-00268-24
• Land at Fendyke Farm Off Old Fendyke Sutton St James,  Spalding – SHDC Ref: H20-1007-24
• Sutton Bridge Solar Farm Land to the South of Centenary Way Sutton Bridge – SHDC Ref: H18-1077-24
• Land at Postland Road & James Road Crowland – SHDC Ref: H02-0938-25
• Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field Winfrey Avenue Spalding -  SHDC Ref: H16-0687-25

East Lindsey District Council:

• Chandlers Farm Equipment Limited Boston Road Horncastle Lincolnshire = ELDC Ref: 00107/26/FUL

West Lindsey District Council (WLDC):

• Land At Willingham By Stow Farm, Marton Road, Willingham By Stow, Gainsborough – WLDC Ref: WL/2024/00662
• Land Off High Street Marton Gainsborough – WLDC Ref: WL/2026/00169
• Land At Barker Farm, Stow Park Road, Stow Park, Lincoln – WLDC ref: WL/2024/00395
• Land At Burton Lane End Burton Waters Lincoln- WLDC Ref: WL/2024/00667
• Land Off Stallingborough Road Keelby Grimsby – WLDC Ref: WL/2025/00667

Consultation requests from the Planning Inspectorate:

LCC’s Planning Services has not been consulted by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on any specific standalone BESS projects, there are no standalone BESS projects in Lincolnshire that are classified as an NSIP. There are NSIP scale solar projects that have associated BESS as part of scheme, as referred to above. LCC’s Planning Service does not hold any lists, spreadsheets or internal databases that specifically track consultation requests from PINS. To produce one would be considered to be manifestly unreasonable.  All correspondence between the Council and PINS is publicly available information under the specific project on the PINS website here:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/project-search

Consultations received within the Growth Department:

• DM/0513/25/FUL Land east of Gunnerby Rpad, Hatcliffe, NE Lincs.  Erection of battery energy storage system (BESS) up to 30MW with battery containers, transformers, switchgear and DNO buildings, monitoring room, ancillary infrastructure including underground cabling, fencing, CCTV, internal access tracks and associated works.

• B/25/0224 Land east of Bicker Fen Substation, Bicker Fen. Proposed installation and operation of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and other ancillary and associated infrastructure

• 25/0533 Lane south Of Hill Rise, West of Coleby and north of Navenby. Proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) together with associated infrastructure, engineering works and landscaping

• 25/0491 Land to south of Green Man Road, Navenby.  Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and associated infrastructure.

• H18-1077-24 Sutton Bridge Solar Farm, Centenary Way, Sutton Bridge. Construction of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and associated infrastructure.

• H20-1007-24 Land at Fendyke Farm, Off Old Fendye, Sutton St James. Construction and operation of a solar farm and battery energy storage system (BESS), vehicular access, internal access tracks, landscaping, boundary treatment, cabling and associated infrastructure

• 24/1265/FUL South of Little Hale Drove, Little Hale Fen. Erection of 99MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and associated infrastructure.

• B/24/0415 Lane of Vicarage Drove, Bicker Fen, Bicker. Proposed installation and operation of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and ancillary infrastructure and landscaping and biodiversity enhancements.

• WL/2024/00662 Land at Willingham By Stow Farm, Marton Road. Planning application for the installation and operation of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with ancillary infrastructure and landscaping and biodiversity enhancements.

• WL/2026/00169 Land off High Street, Marton.  Planning application for construction and operation of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) of up to 10 MW export capacity, with other associated works

3. LCC Planning service does not hold any formal correspondence or reports between LCC Planning and the LFR service regarding cumulative safety risks of BESS deployments on rural agricultural land. 

4. LCC Planning service has not had any specific meetings with National Grid or NESO  regarding the locations of new substations required to facilitate BESS development.

5. LCC’s Planning Service, as Minerals and Waste Planning, has not been consulted on any specific BESS related pre-application enquiries in the 2024 and 2025 calendar years.

LCC’s Historic Environment Team has been consulted on 1 pre application.

• Land North of Pilham Lane – WLDC Ref: PRE/2024/00029

Consults with the Growth Department – Five in total.