Council Faces Massive Bill After Energy Storage Rejection
An energy company has warned Bexley Council to prepare for a bill running into hundreds of thousands of pounds after the authority refused planning permission for a major energy storage facility on green belt land in Sidcup.
Firstway Energy, a UK-based energy storage developer, saw its controversial proposal for a battery energy storage system (BESS) rejected last month. The facility would have covered nearly 10 football pitches on agricultural land east of North Cray Road.
Planning Clash Over Green Belt Development
Bexley Council refused the application, stating the facility would cause significant harm to the character and appearance of the rural landscape. Council planners also determined the BESS constituted inappropriate development within the protected green belt.
However, Firstway Energy claims it was blindsided by the refusal. The company alleges that the case officer handling their application had indicated the plans were likely to be recommended for approval and scheduled for discussion at a Planning Committee meeting.
Instead, the application never reached committee stage and was rejected directly by council officers, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the energy firm.
Over 600 public representations were submitted during the consultation process, yet the application didn't undergo the additional public scrutiny that a committee hearing would have provided.
Council Disputes Company's Claims
Bexley Council has firmly disputed Firstway's version of events. A council spokesperson stated: Officers had worked proactively with the applicant during the application process however once the application had been fully assessed against relevant planning policy and guidance, the recommendation was to refuse planning permission.
The authority explained that according to Bexley's planning policy, only applications recommended for approval by planning officers can be selected for committee discussion. Since this application received a refusal recommendation, it never progressed to that stage.
The spokesperson added: No commitment had been made that the recommendation would be to approve the application, nor that the application would be taken to Planning Committee.
Appeal Looms With Major Cost Implications
Firstway Energy has confirmed it will appeal the refusal and is confident of victory. Nathan Stevenson, Managing Director of Firstway Energy, stated: This decision will now incur the cost, delay and impact on Firstway Energy's business of securing consent via an appeal, which on the evidence of many appeal decisions for similar energy infrastructure proposals in comparable circumstances we would expect to be allowed.
The company plans to submit a costs claim to the Planning Inspectorate, with Mr Stevenson warning that the appeal process could cost Bexley Council hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Mr Stevenson emphasised the national importance of such facilities, explaining that the Sidcup BESS would have been capable of storing 200 megawatts of electrical energy - enough to power 647,590 homes.
He argued that storage systems are vital for supporting the UK's transition to renewable energy by taking energy from the national grid when supply is high and demand is low, then feeding it back when supply is low and demand is high.
The negative stance taken by the London Borough of Bexley towards the provision of clean energy infrastructure in this instance flies in the face of the national effort to decarbonise the energy grid by 2030, Mr Stevenson added.
Second Application in the Pipeline
The dispute comes as Firstway Energy promotes another proposal to build a similar energy storage scheme on land off Dartford Road in Bexley. That planning application has already proven contentious, having received 314 letters of support and 169 objections.
Mr Stevenson expressed hope that the council would engage more constructively with the company on this second application to avoid a repeat of the Sidcup refusal.
We are keen to avoid a repeat of the previous refusal and therefore request that council officers actively engage with us during the application's determination and ensure it is brought before a forthcoming Planning Committee, he said.
This will allow the clear benefits of energy storage—and its role as a critical national priority—to be properly considered by elected members.
The outcome of the appeal and the progress of Firstway's second application will be closely watched by both renewable energy advocates and local residents concerned about green belt protection.
