Devon CPRE and the Hawkchurch and Monkton Wyld Action Group are celebrating a resounding success following a Planning Inspector’s decision to dismiss a developer’s appeal to construct a large Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Raymond’s Hill, near Hawkchurch, in East Devon.
With the backing of Devon CPRE, the local action group had fiercely fought a proposal for a BESS the size of a factory, consisting of large metal battery containers set in rows on concrete, on open farmland at Hawkchurch. The contested site was close to both the West Dorset and Somerset county boundaries and the Axminster Substation and directly above an important aquifer, relied on by many households and farms as their sole source of drinking water. Opponents of the development were particularly concerned about the high risk of fire and the ensuing contamination of these vital water supplies.
An appeal hearing was held in the spring after Clearstone Energy Limited appealed against East Devon District Council Planning Committee’s decision to refuse planning permission. Disappointingly, however, EDDC subsequently withdrew its opposition and stated that the appeal should be allowed, leaving the action group to fight the appeal alone, as a Rule 6 party.
In her appeal decision, published on 13 August, Planning Inspector Helen Heward said the main reasons for dismissing the appeal were:
i) The risk of a fire event and whether, in the event of a fire, the proposed fire safety and pollution control measures would be sufficient to prevent pollution of aquifers and control the quality of groundwater, with particular regard to the health and safety of local residents.
ii) The effect of the proposal upon the character and appearance of the local area including the Dorset National Landscape.
Penny Mills of Devon CPRE says, “This is a very important decision and a victory for people power. I hope East Devon District Council take note! It should give encouragement to others opposing similar BESS proposals in the countryside. We’re particularly pleased to see how thorough the inspector’s report is; it is extremely detailed and runs to over 100 points. We had submitted two objections to the proposal as well as a written representation to the appeal.
“We have been campaigning against Battery Energy Storage Systems for several years because they are so dangerous. While most people know little about them, this report and the inspector’s decision show that the powers that be are starting to take notice of the very real fire and pollution risks, and the threat of industrialising the countryside.”
It’s the third time the Hawkchurch and Monkton Wyld Action Group has successfully fought off BESS proposals – Pound Road in 2023, Pound Farm in 2025 and now Hawkchurch. They are still awaiting the appeal decision regarding another large-scale BESS at Newlands (80MW, Ref. 24/2650/MFUL).
In the run-up to the latest appeals, we produced a video outlining the concerns of East Devon residents living in and around Hawkchurch in light of the influx of BESS proposals: The rural East Devon community urgently raising funds to fight off Battery Energy Storage Systems