Traveller group opposes battery storage plans

Gypsy and traveller groups have called for plans to install a lithium‑ion battery energy storage system (BESS) in Wakefield to be rejected.

A spokesperson told a public inquiry proposals to locate the facility next to a caravan and mobile home site at Heath Common would have a serious noise impact on residents.

The hearing is taking place after Harmony Energy appealed against Wakefield Council's decision to refuse permission for 72 battery storage containers on farmland.

Stephanie Hall, representing the developer, said noise from the site would be "below background levels during both day and night".

BESS store excess energy created by renewable energy sources and release it when demand is high, helping to ensure a stable and continuous supply even when renewable sources are unavailable or low.

Ellie Rogers, chief executive of Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (GATE), said any increase in noise would worsen conditions at what she described as an already "substandard site".

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, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The site, which was established in 1968, currently has 38 plots and is the only council-run Gypsy and Traveller site in Wakefield.

Ms Rogers said there was a shortage of provision across the district and plans to extend the site to include a further 23 plots had not progressed and, as such, was overcrowded.

"Overcrowding increases the risk from fire and increases the number of people affected by noise" she added.

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 proposals."

She said a council environmental health officer agreed with expert evidence which "sets out clearly why this will not occur."

The hearing continues.

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