Projects England BESS

Northeast England BESS development

Battery storage

Developers

Energy Storage England

Ecological and Ornithological services for a proposed Battery Energy Storage System

Locogen delivered ecological and ornithological services for a UK developer at a proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) development in the north of England.

1-4GW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)

Client UK developer
Service Components Battery energy storage system
Status Locogen services completed

The project

We were appointed by our client in May 2024 to undertake ecological and ornithological surveys at the proposed BESS development in northern England. These surveys supported the production of a full Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) and a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) assessment, both of which would inform a planning application for the development.

The proposed development was to have an anticipated storage capacity of 1-4GW, at an agricultural site covering ~21-ha. The development was to include battery storage units, access tracks, sub-stations, and ancillary infrastructure, with an operational lifespan of 25 years.

Our approach

To deliver against the survey scope, Locogen reviewed third-party desk-based survey data, and also carried out practical fieldwork surveys. These included static bat monitoring, breeding bird surveys, protected species surveys and habitat surveys. We carried out all activity and fieldwork across 2024.

The initial survey work identified the need for Winter and Migratory Bird surveys to ensure we were thorough in our assessment of the potential impact of the project on bird populations in the locality.

The plan for the proposed development meant some existing hedgerows would be removed, so Locogen also opted to carry out additional surveys to assess the impact of this on the site’s BNG. Additionally, we also carried out eDNA testing of ponds to assess the potential presence of Great Crested Newts.

The outcome

The ecological survey work undertaken by Locogen highlighted that the proposed development could have negative impact on some habitats and species without mitigation. As such, Locogen recommended mitigation measures to reduce these impacts to neutral and/or positive effects.

Whilst the bat walkovers carried out didn’t pick up a significant number of bats, static bat surveys revealed that there were high levels of activity at certain parts of the site. Locogen recommended mitigations such as the introduction of a buffer on one of the ponds, and the creation of acoustic barrier fence or high hedgerow/woodland planting on the southside of proposed development to prevent disruption of foraging habitat for bats. To enhance the site for roosting bats, we also recommended that four bat boxes were installed within the Site affixed to retained mature trees or buildings.

Additional mitigation measures included the need for culverts at certain parts of the site to provide nature corridors, reducing habitat fragmentation and maintaining ecological connectivity across the site, and the recommendation that one field within the site is kept back for management of ground-nesting species.

Locogen delivered the required services for our client in fulfilment of the proposed survey scope, supporting the completion of
full written EcIA and BNG assessments to accompany a planning application for this development.