Electricity firm wants to build battery energy storage plant on green belt site

Monday, 2 June 2025 21:05

By Chris Gee, Local Democracy Reporter

A battery energy storage plant could be built on green belt farmland.

Taiyo Power and Storage plan to develop land currently used for livestock grazing to the east of Shore Top Farm, close to the A667, Ringley Road West, Radcliffe.

Plans submitted to Bury Council seek permission for the ‘construction, operation and decommissioning of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility and associated infrastructure’.

In supporting documents Taiyo said the battery units at the site, which is between Radcliffe and Kearsley, would ‘store renewable energy for use during times where the electricity network is under stress’.

The 11MW capacity for the batteries at the site could store enough electricity to power approximately 2,900 average UK homes.

The site is designated as green belt and is 20 metres west of a locally designated wildlife corridor.

Credit: LDRS

Taiyo said the proposed development would have 13 battery containers measuring 3.1m high, 6.1m long and 2.6m wide.

Also built would be transformer stations, a switchroom, a substation building, a fire water storage tank and internal access roads. The proposal would involve creating a temporary access for construction from Wood Street across grazing land to the main development area where a construction compound would be created.

Both the access and the compound would be removed after the six month construction period. If approved, the development would also need infrastructure to allow the power to be imported and exported into the electricity grid.

A letter sent to nearby residents gave Taiyo’s justification for the project.
It said: “Once operational, Radcliffe BESS would make a valuable contribution towards tackling the climate emergency in Bury and wider area.

“The project will be capable of storing a significant amount of electricity to supply to the grid in times of need, providing crucial backup energy for local homes and businesses.” The letter also addressed potential concerns about the project.

“We are designing our project to minimise any disturbance to the environment and our neighbours,” it said. “Our key priorities include minimising visibility of the facility from surrounding areas, positioning the facility away from residential properties and providing new landscape planting and improvements to biodiversity which will screen the development and attract additional wildlife to the site and nearby habitats.”

Planners at Bury Council will consider the plans in the coming weeks.