The decision to build an “alien” battery energy storage facility in Nursling that could create a “horrendous industrialised” site has been deferred.

The facility would deliver up to 50MW of stored electricity, balancing the ‘peaks and troughs’ in renewable energy production.

It is intended to be operational for 40 years.

Anglo Renewables Ltd, an independent developer of energy projects, submitted a planning application in November 2023 to Test Valley Borough Council to install a battery energy storage facility.

The facility is proposed to be located next to the Nursling Industrial Estate, at the junction of Mill Lane and Weston Lane in Nursling.

A battery energy storage system (BESS) is a device that enables energy from renewables, like solar and wind, to be stored and then released when the power is needed most.

The application site is approximately 2.9 hectares of open field comprising pastures where horses are currently grazing.

Along the BESS, 32 battery storage units, 16 power control units, a substation, an auxiliary transformer, and two control rooms will be built.

The facility will connect to the nursing substation via an underground cable, operating automatically and monitored remotely without permanent human presence.

Various organisations have raised concerns regarding the proposal’s potential impact on the nearby protected areas.

In a second response on January 2025, Natural England said that without appropriate mitigation, the application would have “an adverse effect” on the integrity of Solent and Southampton Water Special Protection Area (SPA) and damage or destroy the interest features for which the River Test Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Lower Test Valley SSSI has been notified.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has expressed concerns about the application, as it is located right next to the Lower Test Nature Reserve, which they have been managing since the 1980s.

This area features extensive floodplain grasslands, salt marshes, transition habitats, and freshwater tributaries flowing into the River Test.

Given that almost all of this region is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the Trust is worried about the proposed locations and design of the project.

Nursling and Rownhams Parish Council also objected, saying that the proposal is “unacceptable” and “unnecessary” in the countryside.

They added: “The proposal is an industrial complex alien in this countryside location that will have a significant adverse effect on the landscape, character and amenity of the local area.”

The Old Nursling Residents Association pointed out that out of the 121 battery energy storage facilities approved in the local area, only 25 have been constructed, which “demonstrates that further battery storage approvals are not required”.

In a letter, George Baker, a Hampshire Ornithological Society (HOS) officer, said ecological reports hadn’t considered the impacts of the development on the overwintering waders and geese.

Romsey and District Society Natural Environment Committee, Hampshire Ornithological Society and 19 residents also objected to the plans.

During a TVBC planning committee on behalf of the HOS, Alisson Fisher said the development will destroy protected habitats and create a “horrendous industrialised site”.

Mrs Fisher added: “I ask you to consider the residents’ points of view and respect our desire to protect this beautiful area where we live.”

However, at the meeting, councillors agreed to defer the application and wait for the landscaping officer to present the landscaping report at the meeting and for a flood assessment.