Residents breathe huge sigh of relief after plans for lithium battery farm are withdrawn

Hundreds of people objected to an energy firm’s proposals to build a battery storage facility on Westfield Road in Carlton, Leeds, amid fears it could be a fire hazard.

Last month, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the risk of an explosion at the site was “unfortunately very real”, with similar facilities elsewhere across the world having set themselves alight.

Now, applicants Firma Vogt have formally withdrawn the plans, though the company has yet to confirm its reasons for doing so.

But local resident John Francis, 67, said he and his neighbours were delighted the plans had been withdrawn.

“It feels as if a weight’s been lifted off our shoulders,” he said. “When the news came through everyone was ectastic to be honest. Every day you’re thinking about it, and thinking ‘what else can we do?’ ‘Is there another avenue we can go down’? You can be quite pessimistic about this sort of thing and you think they’ll probably get planning permission, but everyone’s very happy it’s been withdrawn.”

Mr Francis said the scheme had brought the community closer together, with more than 600 people thought to have formally objected. Since the plans were submitted in late January, posters have sprung up on lamposts across Carlton and Rothwell and neighbours have set up Whatsapp groups to share ideas and information.

Firma Vogt wanted to build the facility on a strip of farmland on Westfield Road measuring just over four acres.

Last month the company said it was “reviewing feedback” from objectors, but insisted battery storage facilities were “crucial for a sustainable and reliable energy future.” It also said it had put forward a fire safety plan to minimise risk.

Battery farms effectively suck in power from renewable energy sources, before releasing it back into circulation, thus reducing people’s reliance on fossil fuels. But one such site in Liverpool blew up in 2020, with the ensuing fire raging for more than two days.

In their comment on Firma Vogt’s application in March, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The risks of vapour cloud, thermal runaway and explosion are unfortunately very real and are becoming more common as we see an increase in the number of BESS (battery energy storage system) installations rise.”

Because of the lithium within the batteries, which scientists say can overheat and become ablaze, the fires are very difficult to extinguish with water. But the Fire Service said that simply letting the unit burn itself out would also have huge consequences for local people.

They said: “If we were to let it burn there would be a significant impact on the highly populated suburbs which would all be significantly impacted from the vapour/smoke plume. It is likely that we’d require Westfield Road be closed for a minimum of 24 hours.”

The council’s environmental health team objected to the proposals too, on the grounds that night-time noise may have disturbed neighbours during the summer months when windows are open.