Stop Neston BESS
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers on the proposed Neston battery storage plant: fire safety, noise, traffic, why Brockleaze is the wrong site and how Wiltshire residents can object.
What exactly is being proposed at Brockleaze, Neston?
Grenergy, a Spanish energy company, has submitted an application to build the UK’s largest Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)—a 450MW lithium-ion battery facility covering 25 acres of rural land. It would be twice the size of the BESS at Drax, currently the largest in the UK.
Why is this location inappropriate for a BESS of this scale?
The site is less than 400m from homes and a care facility for vulnerable adults, sits within a valued rural landscape, and is 3km from the Melksham substation despite suitable brownfield land being available nearer the grid connection.
Are BESS fires really a risk?
Yes. BESS fires are becoming more frequent, with six incidents in the UK since February 2025 alone and 85 worldwide. Fires can burn for days, require millions of gallons of water, and release toxic gases.
What would happen if a fire occurred here?
A major BESS fire in California required evacuation within a 3-mile radius due to toxic smoke. A similar radius here would include Neston, local schools, Box, Corsham, and parts of Chippenham and Melksham.
Are there national fire safety regulations for BESS sites?
No. The UK has no enforceable national BESS fire safety regulations, despite parliamentary calls for urgent action in June 2025. This is the issue. Developers are taking advantage of loopholes before safety regulations catch up.
Will this project help the UK’s green energy transition?
No. The project is not connected to renewable energy sources. It is a commercial arbitrage venture buying and selling electricity for profit.
How will construction impact Neston and surrounding areas?
The 12–15 month construction period would bring over 2,230 heavy vehicle movements and 200 daily trips from workers, significantly affecting local roads used by children, cyclists, and pedestrians.
What will the long-term environmental and landscape impact be?
The development would industrialise 100,000 square metres of agricultural land, increase noise pollution, and damage a rural landscape recognised as valuable in planning policy. Over time, it would become brown field land which potentially could be built upon.
How noisy will the BESS be for residents?
Noise levels of 83–85 dB would be similar to a diesel train or propeller aircraft and would impact residents and walkers within at least 350m, potentially further in some weather conditions.
Do residents support renewable energy?
Yes. Residents support the energy transition but oppose this project because it is the wrong development in the wrong location, posing serious environmental and safety risks.
Does Grenergy have experience operating a BESS of this size in the UK or anywhere in the world?
No. Grenergy does not have any live BESS sites operating in the UK, and there is no evidence that the company has ever operated a battery facility close to the proposed 450 MW scale. This means the Neston project would be the first of its kind for the company, with no proven safety or operational track record at this magnitude.
Aren’t local people just being NIMBYs?
No. As local residents we are not opposing renewable energy—far from it. The community strongly supports the transition to clean energy. What we object to is the placement of an industrial-scale, high-risk battery installation on greenfield land in a protected rural landscape, less than 400m from homes, schools and a care facility. We are raising legitimate concerns about fire safety, toxic smoke, noise, environmental damage, construction disruption, and the lack of national regulation for a technology known to pose unique risks. These are substantive planning and safety issues—not NIMBYism.
Campaigning for residents of Neston, Corsham, Atworth, Wadswick, Box, Rudloe, Gastard, Whitley, Melksham, Chippenham and across Wiltshire against the proposed Brockleaze battery energy storage system at Neston. Contact: contactus@stopnestonbess.com