My name is James & I care passionately about our environment & the need to develop renewable energy sources. Indeed I have two micro wind turbines on my land. 

Battery Storage (BESS) are an important tool in this, however it is a very new technology & the  current Lithium Ion batteries are proven to be inherently prone to fire & thermal runaway, yet the current legislation appears to disregard this risk as "minimal or unlikely", & is allowing large scale BESS (100 mega-watts plus) to be sited close to towns & villages. We're talking a few hundred meters or less in many cases.

"Minimal & unlikely" !!  please click on link below.

https://storagewiki.epri.com/index.php/BESS_Failure_Event_Database

We are challenging via Judicial review, the legality of recent decisions for approved BESS of unsuitable location & in particular in The Walpoles, where currently over 600MW have been granted planning consent, all within a few hundred metres of residential dwellings & less than 1km from the village centre & large primary school, not to mention King Charles III favourite Church - St Peters..

We are raising £5,500.00 to fund the initial pre claim investigation into the legalities of the process. After this initial stage, and dependent on the advice, we aim to take the case to Judicial Review in the high court as a test case to clarify the legislation for all Lithium Ion BESS. This second stage will require significant funding but I cannot express how important this is. 

Our aim in bringing this case, is to persuade the UK Government to put a temporary stop on all current BESS applications sited within a 2.5km radius of the nearest residence whilst further analysis of the risks are investigated, & then set National standards & recommendations for the placing of these units including a lock-down & evacuation strategy in the event of a serious fire & thermal runaway catastrophe.

In a recent BESS fire in Australia, residents in a 9km radius were put into lockdown for more than 8 hours, & this was in an area of low population.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-30/tesla-battery-fire-moorabool-geelong/100337488

Many UK fire chiefs including / Yorkshire / Hampshire / Norfolk, are lining up to publicly state their concerns regarding Lithium Iron fires. Once taken hold (thermal runaway) they are extremely difficult to put out. The current consensus is to (A) let them burn-out over a 24 hour period, giving off deadly toxic fumes such as Lithium hexa-fluro-phosphate / hydrogen fluoride / phosphoryl fluoride plus combustible gasses hydrogen / methane / ethylene / carbon monoxide & propylene, or (B) to cool them down with water; current suggestion being to fully submerge the batteries for a period of 24 hours with an estimated 5.5 million litres of water. 

Due to the risk of water course & land contamination, option (A) "let them burn" appears to be the preferred course of action.

Indeed Norfolk County Council's chief fire officer, Ceri Sumner, has gone on record stating “the risks posed by Lithium Ion batteries are giving me sleepless nights. Lithium Ion batteries are extremely difficult to put out once they catch fire”.

The National Fire Chiefs Council are still learning about the potential impact of the exponential introduction of Li BESS. “Without an understanding of the risks and appropriate control measures required, we risk as a society creating the next legacy fire safety issue”—

Ex Cabinet minister Maria Miller’s bill in Parliament proposing that Li Bess sites are designated as “hazardous” — and subject to tough new fire safety and planning controls, has passed its 1st reading with its 2^nd scheduled for 24th Nov this year.

She quotes, “We need lithium iron battery storage facilities, but they must be seen correctly for what they are: highly complex, with the potential to create dangerous events and hazardous substances.”

She urged the government to announce an immediate review of the BESS projects granted, along with existing plants to ensure they do not pose a threat to residents or the local environment. “We cannot allow lithium ion battery storage facilities to continue as they are and become another legacy fire issue, with all the risks that entails to the lives of the people we represent, and the environment we want to protect”.

Yet interestingly Norfolk fire offices offered no objections to the proposed Walpole Bank BESS's.

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/23399478.lithium-ion-batteries-spark-norfolk-fire-risk-fears/

The Government recently delegated the planning decision process for BESS to local authorities (previously made at government level given the Nation & strategic significance of electrical & power infrastructure). These decisions are now being made by (often part-time) borough councillors on local planning committees & many admit that they are not informed or qualified enough to make decisions of such importance. Yet they do!!

Due to the current planning process - the only recourse for appeal for members of the public is via the complex & expensive Judicial review procedure.

Stage 1 costs will be around £5,500.00 & if successful we anticipate a fighting fund should be reserved of aprox 50k for the full hearings.

As said previously, I am not against BESS as they are necessary for future energy security & climate change, but in the Governments rush to achieve 25-30 Gigawatt by 2030 & exceed 50 Gigawatt by 2050 (equivalent to 15,000 40ft containers of batteries), corners are being cut & complacency setting in.

(Note - BESS are not green nor carbon neutral. In fact the lifespan of production & utilisation of the Batteries is considered to be potentially carbon positive over the lifespan; not to mention the method of extraction of the raw Lithium & Cobalt which is questionable in relationship to modern day slavery & longevity of supply).

https://connectedenergysolutions.co.uk/the-quest-for-carbon-free-energy-storage-needs-facts-and-hard-data-that-are-hard-to-find/

https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/briefings/transition-minerals-sector-case-studies/human-rights-in-the-mineral-supply-chains-of-electric-vehicles/#:~:text=Lithium%20and%20cobalt%20in%20particular,America%20have%20made%20global%20headlines.

Please don't let this be the next big legacy fire issue. 

Any over runs in fund raising for this (the full JR hearing), will be donated equally to Grenfell Foundation & Walpole community projects as managed by our legal team.

I thank you in advance for your support - whatever you can afford will help however small.

Thanks again - James.