Council hit with £50k bill after losing battery farm appeal in West Lindsey
Plans for 160 container units near Willingham-by-Stow approved by inspectors, after council’s refusal over countryside concerns is overturned
A Lincolnshire council has had to payout nearly £50,000 over a battery farm which it ‘unreasonably’ rejected.
The application requested permission to place 160 car-sized battery containers on a field in Willingham-by-Stow, between Lincoln and Gainsborough.
It was turned down by West Lindsey District Council in February 2025, with planners questioning why it was located in the middle of the countryside.
However, developer FRV Powertek appealed to the government and was able to overturn the decision.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has been told that the full costs of the appeal, which the council has to pay, are £48,589.
The 400MW battery farm on Marton Lane would be able to store excess renewable energy from sources such as solar farms, and release it to the grid when needed.
A total of 160 battery containers, each around the size of a car, would be placed on the field on Marton Lane.
Members of the planning committee who ruled against the application said they were concerned by the rural location, which is outside of the village boundary.
Councillor Roger Patterson (Con) said during the meeting: “The storage containers look like they’ve come straight from Immingham docks.
“It won’t benefit West Lindsey in the slightest. We’re being used as a dumping ground, and it will stand out like a sore thumb.”
Local ward councillors said they’d had “overwhelming negative feedback” from village residents.
A representative for the applicant told the planning committee it would have a “small to negligible” visual impact, and there were no fire safety concerns.
No construction has begun yet on the application.