Petition against battery storage site to face Holyrood

The National

18-05-2025

And the campaigners are calling on people in Scotland to sign their petition demanding clearer regulation around the proximity of BESS to residences. Launched a week ago, the petition already has more than 1000 signatures and is now in the top 40 of petitions on the Scottish Parliament website.
The protest has been sparked by a plan for one of the largest BESS in Europe to be sited on agricultural land just 85 metres away from housing at Cockenzie in East Lothian.
It would see 140 shipping-sized battery containers, 35 transformers, three substations and fencing on the land owned by East Lothian Council (ELC) near a local health centre, nursery and primary school.
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The protesters claim it would create a serious risk of fire, explosion, pollution and noise, as well as result in the loss of prime agricultural land and land purchased with the aim of providing employment opportunities.
'A prevailing wind fire at this site would mean a huge evacuation of most of the community, including the main shelter at the community centre,' said a spokesperson for Communities Against Cockenzie BESS (CACB).
'All of this means huge risks to the local area, including the health centre and the primary school. This is simply unacceptable – exposing the community to needless risk while better options exist elsewhere.
'An incident would also pose unacceptable risks to wildlife habitats and farmland because there would be no way to prevent harmful liquid or gases entering the Forth or wider local environment.'
The campaigners believe there is a 'gold rush' of planning applications for such sites in Scotland as developers and investors try to cash in on the new technology which is aimed at storing electricity when supply is high and demand (and price) is low.
A resident whose home is within 85 metres of the proposed site said her 'anxiety was through the roof' over the proposal.
'It's pretty shocking and would create a precedent in Scotland if it goes ahead because it is so near people's back fences,' she told the Sunday National. 'When they built Cockenzie Power Station back in the 1960s, there was a barrier left between it and the housing, so why isn't there something like that now?'
The petition, which has been set up by Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Council, calls for a minimum baseline level of practice around the location and proximity of BESS in relation to residential properties, public buildings, and community amenities.
'No communities should be faced with the risks being proposed at Cockenzie,' it states.
It goes on to insist that BESS should never be sited on greenfield land where appropriate brownfield sites exist and careful consideration must be given to permanent loss of prime agricultural land for a BESS site which 'may supply the grid only infrequently and at great benefit to its owners'.
Lastly, it calls for communities' interests and benefits for land next to residences, amenity and community space to be prioritised over financial gain for landowners.
Members of the community council have also written to the Scottish Government to question the local authority's position as a consultee on the plans for the BESS near housing in the village, given it owns the land involved.
Chair Ben Morse said: 'It speaks volumes about the strength of feeling that members of the community have felt the need to form the CACB campaign group, let alone arrange a protest at the Scottish Parliament.
'Unfortunately, it speaks to a longstanding feeling of a democratic deficit which is often expressed within our community where development, even involving our own local authority, is perceived as something which is done to us rather than by, with or for us.'
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ELC is only able to comment or lodge objections to the project as it is considered a national development with approval to be given by the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit (ECU).
The council has agreed not to object to the plans but agreed to insist the ECU ensures the 'proposed BESS would not result in an unacceptable fire safety risk or that the matter of fire risk is competently dealt with under other legislation'.
'Recent BESS fires at Rothienorman in Scotland, East Tilbury in England and Moss Landing in California pose real questions over the safety of the technology, particularly when in proximity to populated areas,' said a CACB spokesperson.
'Some developers have in-house rules about proximity to communities such as that batteries must be at least 200m from residential properties. We are calling for guidelines that can add consistency to the consenting process.'
A Scottish Government spokesperson said the application was currently under consideration therefore it would not be appropriate for Scottish ministers to comment.
A UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: 'Storing energy is key to reaching our 2030 mission, and we will build an energy system that can bring down households' and businesses' energy bills for good.
'Battery fires at storage sites are rare in the UK. We already have high safety standards in place that require manufacturers and industry to ensure batteries are safe throughout their lifespan and robust mitigations where fires do occur.'
An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: 'The council strongly insists that the ECU should satisfy themselves that either the proposed BESS would not result in an unacceptable fire safety risk or that the matter of fire risk is competently dealt with under other legislation.
'The council further insists that the ECU should consider whether a safety management plan should be required. The council further recommends that Prestonpans Community Council and Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Council be consulted on any safety management plan that is required.
'The ECU should also consider whether it is necessary to further consult with the Health and Safety Executive on this matter.'