Leeds battery facility plans revived following objections

An energy firm has confirmed it intends to revive plans for a large battery storage plant in Leeds.

Firma Vogt dropped proposals to build on a four-acre site on Westfield Road, near Carlton, in April after objections from residents.

Concerns were raised by the fire service over potential explosion risks.

The developer said it had listened to feedback and "improved proposals" but a revised planning application was yet to be submitted.

Firma Vogt told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the facility would be smaller than initially planned and positioned further south, away from homes, which it said would remove the need for noise barriers.

It claimed making the plant shorter would improve the biodiversity net gain associated with the development.

Andrew Jones, company director, said: "These improvements have been designed to considerably reduce the potential impact on local residents, and address comments given by local stakeholders.

"Westfield BESS [battery energy storage system] can play a key role in securing energy security in a way which will directly benefit local people."

If approved by Leeds City Council, the site would provide power for up to 14,000 homes a year, the company said.

Battery farms take in power from renewable energy sources and then pump it back out to the grid during times of high demand, making them appealing from an environmental perspective.

But concerns around fire safety stem from the lithium within the batteries, which can cause an explosion when it overheats.

In January a fire caused by an e-bike which had been charging overnight had killed a man and injured two others.

In 2020, a huge blaze in Liverpool took 59 hours to extinguish and was caused by an explosion at a controversial mega-battery site.

A separate planning application for a battery farm in Allerton Bywater was submitted by a different firm, Harmony Energy, at the end of last month.

Harmony Energy has said it "uses different technology" to that used at the Liverpool plant.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].

Europe's biggest battery storage system launches

Leeds battery storage facility plans dropped - BBC News