Developers eye unused Jarrow industrial site for huge battery energy storage facility to help National Grid
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South Tyneside Council’s planning department has received an application for a ‘screening opinion’ linked to a site in the borough’s Bede ward.
The site, which sits off Church Bank in the Jarrow area, is described in a planning listing as “vacant land” and “formerly M H Southern”.
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Applicants are seeking feedback from South Tyneside Council planning officers to help progress detailed plans for a battery energy storage system (BESS) development and associated infrastructure.
Battery energy storage system developments aim to import and store electrical power during periods of oversupply in the National Grid, and to export it back into the energy network when needed to help ‘balance’ the grid.
Applications for BESS developments were approved near the A19 in Sunderland and at a site in West Boldon last year (2024) and have been cited as a key part of the UK’s move towards Net Zero, helping more renewable energy to be brought online.
New plans submitted for the Church Bank site in Jarrow will see council planners decide whether an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is needed ahead of any future planning application to build.
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Hide AdA supporting letter linked to the screening opinion request, and published on South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website, provides details of the BESS development.
The site is described as “2.59 hectares of brownfield land containing several industrial buildings” and notes the site was “last occupied by MH Southern & Co. Ltd who were timber importers and sawmilllers”.
Applicants describe the upcoming development as a “battery energy storage system and associated electrical infrastructure” and confirm the site would be accessed from Church Bank.
It was noted that several vacant industrial buildings on site would be demolished in advance of construction and that the “final element” of the BESS scheme would see the installation of a below ground cable to connect the facility to the National Grid.
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Hide AdThe supporting statement adds: “The purpose of a BESS is to store excess energy from the National Grid and then discharge that energy back into the grid when needed, thereby improving the security of the national energy network.
“It is anticipated that the proposed development will be constructed over a period of 8 to 12 months.
“The main construction activities comprise demolition of the existing buildings, installation of concrete foundations, erection of BESS (including ancillary components) and the installation of the high voltage cable.”
It was noted that the proposed development would “introduce above ground structures (containers) replacing the existing above ground structures”, and that the development would be capable of storing around “100MW of energy”.
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Hide AdThose behind the plans added the development would be “relatively minor in nature in the context of the large-scale industrial development in the surrounding area”.
The supporting statement adds: “Whilst the operation of the proposed development itself will not give rise to any emissions to air, there will be emissions arising from traffic associated with the maintenance of the proposed development.
“However, the generated vehicle trips are anticipated to be in the region of one to two trips per week undertaken by a light good vehicle and therefore would not give rise to any significant effects in terms of air quality.
“With regard to noise disturbance, it is likely that there will be some operational noise from the proposed development, specifically from the battery container units, general maintenance activities and operational traffic.
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Hide Ad“However, given the location of the site and presence of nearby operational industrial uses, the level of existing background noise is unlikely to be exceeded by the operational noise from the proposed development.”
Developers said the “magnitude and nature of the impacts likely to arise from the proposed development are not considered to be significant and therefore do not give rise to a need for [an] environmental impact assessment”.
It was stressed that the development would also be designed in line with national guidance to prevent fire risks and that a battery safety management plan would be submitted as part of a future planning application.
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Hide AdA decision on the screening opinion is expected to be made once a period of council consultation has concluded.
For more information on the plan or to track its progress, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search planning application number: 250048
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