Battery plant row deepens as Traveller groups warn of 'serious noise harm'
Gypsy and Traveller groups call for battery site plans to be thrown out.
Gypsy and Traveller groups have called for plans to install a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Wakefield to be rejected.
A public inquiry was told plans to locate the facility next to a caravan and mobile home site at Heath Common would create serious noise impacts for its residents.
A Planning Inspectorate hearing is taking place after Harmony Energy appealed Wakefield Council’s decision to refuse an application to install 72 containers storing lithium ion batteries on farmland near Heath village.
BESS facilities take in power from renewable energy sources and then release it back to the National Grid when demand is high.
Ellie Rogers, chief executive of Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (GATE), said: “Our primary concern is that, put simply, any increase in the noise environment will make an already substandard site worse.”
Ms Rogers said the Heath Common site was the closest residential accommodation to the proposed development.
She said:”We are concerned that the appellant, and indeed the council, have not properly considered the different nature of mobile homes and caravans when considering noise.
“We know from our work on the site that many of the residents sleep in touring caravans which are poorly insulated with very thin metal walls.
“Put bluntly, it is obvious to even the non-expert that sleeping in what is in effect a thin metal box with a small amount of insulation is going to be different to the conditions that one might expect in a house.”
Ms Rogers said GATE, a registered charity which advocates for communities across West Yorkshire, had been supporting Wakefield District Gypsy and Traveller Association to oppose the development.
The hearing was told all residents at the site were exclusively Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers and were entitled to protection under the Equality Act.
Ms Rogers explained: “This requires decision makers to take into account the need to have due regard to advance equal opportunities between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.”
The site, which was established in 1968, currently has 38 plots and is the only council-run Gypsy and Traveller site in the Wakefield district.
Ms Rogers said there was a shortage of provision across the district and council plans to extend the site to include a further 23 plots had not been progressed.
She added: “Heath Common is overcrowded due to an established shortage of Gypsy and Traveller sites in Wakefield district and a lack of a five-year supply.
“Overcrowding increases the risk from fire and increases the number of people affected by noise.
“The residents at Heath Common do not have any choice in where they live.
“As social tenants, they can only reside at Heath Common as it is the only rented site available.”
Ms Rogers said a recent health needs assessment highlighted a number of issues at the site, including repairs and renovations “not being addressed.”
The document also said there was a lack of privacy for residents, a shortage of disability provisions and problems with drainage and rubbish.
She added: “The Heath Common site is on a poor state of repair.
“For instance, the sewage system recently broke and covered the site in human waste.
“The living units are affected by damp and mould and in need of new kitchens and bathrooms.
“There has been very little investment into the site in the last 20 years. There is no play space for children.”
Earlier in the hearing, Stephanie Hall, representing Harmony, said: “Residents of the nearby Gypsy and Traveller site are understandably concerned to ensure there are no unacceptable noise effects arising from the proposal.”
Ms Hall said a council environmental health officer agreed with expert evidence which “sets out clearly why this will not occur.”
The lawyer added: “Noise generated by the BESS will be below the background measured levels for both night and day time.
“Predicted effects are also well below threshold limits derived from relevant guidance.
“The imposition of a condition as agreed between the council and appellant will secure compliance for the lifetime of the scheme.”
The hearing continues.