Plans for battery storage system next to lake opposed by locals
Plans for a battery storage system near Medlock Road in Failsworth are facing opposition from locals who fear it will disrupt the tranquility and wildlife of the lakeside area. The proposal, recommended for approval by planning officers, aims to support renewable energy storage but has drawn criticism from residents concerned about noise and mental health impacts.
Failsworth residents are mounting a last-ditch fight to stop a battery-storage compound from rising on greenbelt beside their beloved Medlock Valley Fishery, warning the scheme will shatter the lakeside refuge that keeps their “anxiety and depression” at bay.
Root Power has asked Oldham Council to approve rows of battery units, a substation, storage containers and a new access road on meadowland off Medlock Road so surplus solar power can be fed into the grid when demand peaks. Planning officers, who will present the file next Wednesday, 23 April, concede the project intrudes on protected greenbelt but insist the Net-Zero gain “outweighs the impact on openness.”
More than 20 letters of “despair” have already reached the town hall. “I spend many hours walking and looking at the wildlife each week,” one opponent wrote. “The extra noise night and day will have a detrimental effect.” Another angler pleaded: “If this goes ahead it will damage the Medlock fishery as a business and cause me great stress… long live the fish.”
Root Power says the pasture is currently used for horses, is screened by mature trees and will be ring-fenced by three-metre acoustic barriers. Planners agree there is “no evidence of significant adverse impact on mental health,” but residents counter that the tranquillity they rely on cannot be replaced. “It’s an escape from all the city noise,” a regular fisher said. “Hearing the wildlife, birds, etc. really helps me and I know there’s many other anglers that feel the same way.”
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