Warrington South MP Sarah Hall has hosted a community meeting in Penketh to give residents the opportunity to raise their concerns about plans for a new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility on Green Belt land near Station Road.
The planning application submitted to Warrington Borough Council in July, has prompted local opposition. Constituents who contacted Sarah directly about the proposal were invited to attend the meeting to discuss the plans alongside local councillors Jacob Barnard and Eunice Peters.
Before the meeting, Sarah Hall MP submitted a formal representation to Warrington Borough Council setting out the issues raised by her constituents. Her submission highlighted a lack of justification for development on protected Green Belt land, risks to wildlife, biodiversity, and the local landscape, traffic safety concerns and unsuitable access routes via Station Road, safety, flooding, and fire risks linked to battery storage facilities.
Residents who wish to read more about the application can visit the Council’s planning portal at online.warrington.gov.uk/planning and enter the planning application number 2025/00999/FULM
Sarah Hall, Member of Parliament for Warrington South, said: “Residents are not opposed to renewable energy projects, but they are right to expect them to be delivered in the right place, with the right safeguards.
“From traffic dangers on Station Road, to the loss of Green Belt, to the unanswered safety concerns around fire and flooding, the risks are clear and significant.
“I have made a detailed representation to the Council setting out the views of my constituents. Their voices must be at the heart of this process, and I will continue to press for full and proper scrutiny.
“I will continue following this application closely and speaking with residents to ensure their concerns are fully represented.
“If any constituent would like to share their views with me directly, they can get in touch via SarahHall.co.uk/Contact”.
