A micro energy storage facility can now be built and operated in Middlesbrough after an appeal. Planning Inspector Hughes took a different view to Middlesbrough Council planning officers, who had refused the proposed development back in October 2025.
The successful appeal means that planning permission has now been granted and the facility, also known as a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) can now be built on a patch of grass to the east of Marton Road, just north of the Marton crossroads. The total footprint would be approximately 24m², comprising battery units measuring 2.2m in height, inside a 2.4m high compound of wire mesh, with wooden inset panel fencing, papers explain. In addition, soft landscaping would run alongside the front and side.
Council officers refused the application last autumn, on account of the impact that it would have on the character and appearance of the area. The council’s officer report argued that the facility would result in additional street clutter. The battery box was deemed “a structure which is detrimental to the high-quality visual amenity of the site and its surroundings”, contrary to policies.
The appeal decision notice, permitting the proposals, says the BESS would import electricity from the local network when renewable energy sources are generating high amounts or demand is low, and export it back to the grid during periods of higher demand. This would help to address grid resilience, and reduce wastage and reliance on fossil fuels, but benefits would be “relatively modest” given the size of the facility.
The site on which the storage facility is to be built is set back from the road, with a pavement, grassland and a cycle path separating the land in question from the main road. Additionally, the site is separated from the substation to its rear by a “narrow belt of trees”. There are houses on the opposite side of Marton Road, with the appeal site described as “unallocated land”.
The planning inspector did not believe that the appeal proposal would be “particularly untoward”. Its height would be “dwarfed” by trees, while the landscaping of the project would “soften its impact” and upkeep would be controlled by a condition. It was also highlighted that “various street furniture items” are already present along the verge.
It was noted that a Middlesbrough design document advises that over-cluttering from street furniture should be “avoided at all costs”, as it is confusing and misleading. However, the inspector asserted that the BESS would be set sufficiently distant from both these existing features and the footway, so as to not contribute to unnecessary clutter.
The planning inspector adds: “I am aware that other appeals for very similar BESS schemes have been both allowed and dismissed by other Inspectors, but the specific site context for each of these will be different. I have based my consideration on the context before me.” The inspector found “no harm from noise overall”, no highway safety impacts, and a number of conditions were attached to approval being granted.
