Oppose Claudy Battery Site

10/01/2024

You may have received a letter from the Council about a new closing date for comments as the site plans have been slightly updated.

You will notice in the comments that the nearest neighbours have been frequently responding to documents as they have appeared over these last 11 months. If you have anything to add, please do so before the 18 January (as per uploaded letter). Thank you for your support in objecting to this industrial scale development.

14/07/2023

We took a trip to existing battery sites at Kells, near Ballymena and Lisnabreeny Road, Belfast

It is a nightmarish vision for Gortnaran's potential future, if this proposed site goes ahead.

The noise generated by the batteries and fans was horrific and relentless. It will adversely affect all the neighbours and road users. The peace and quiet of our countryside will be ruined.

09/05/2023

Noise report update

Hi all,

We are extremely concerned with the findings of the noise report - you can find it on the portal "April 2023 - Noise report V1" uploaded on 24th April 2023

If this industrial scale battery site goes ahead, it reports a "severe" change to the noise level in the area.

To try to counter the "severe" change, they plan to erect 3 metre high and 45m long noise barriers. Even with this, the increased noise levels will be significant!

These barriers are only proposed on the lower part of the site! But should really be all around it to reduce the noise impact on all our neighbours, and yet this will only increase its terrible visual impact on the surrounding landscape.

These batteries will be making continuous noise all day, every day. The document’s various maps shows the various houses in the area that will be impacted by this, and it doesn’t even consider road users, walkers, runners, cyclists etc.

There are also various issues with the report:
- when they took the measurements for the “pre-existing sound climate”, there was noisy road resurfacing works on the Gortnaran Road that week! It is not an accurate base level data.

- It is compared to a proposal for 1 BESS unit and 1 inverter located at the base of a wind turbine. This is not a like-for-like comparison! How much more noise will be generated when 30 BESS units, 20 inverters and 5 transformers are all running at maximum capacity at the same time compared with 1 at the base of a Turbine? It is just awful to even imagine.

See our response on the portal for full details.
Our full response to the noise report should hopefully be available in the ’comments’ section of the portal in the coming days. And we still do not have adequate details about the proposed lighting and CCTV….

Please read the noise report and submit an(other) objection based on the noise issues.

Please continue to raise the issues with councillors, MLAs and MPs. Over the last few weeks, we have been visited from representatives from across the political spectrum, but we all need to keep fighting this and making our collective voices heard.

This is simply the wrong site for this development: there are too many legitimate ‘red flags’.

17/04/2023

A quick update

Hello all,

So, the application is still in consultation (so still time to object!)

As you can see from the most recent documents on the Portal, the applicant is expected to update plans etc as they are inconsistent and incomplete. The Council have to decide whether to do an Environmental Impact Assessment by 19th May.

The Local Council Elections are scheduled for Thursday 18 May. Please raise the issues with this site with local candidates when they canvass at your door etc.

We have been in touch with local candidates and political parties to voice the concerns of the community about this particular site. We have even received visits from elected representatives.

The strength of local feeling is clear and the word is out - but we have to keep this on the agenda!

Thanks, as always, for all your continued support. It means so much to all the neighbours on the Gortnaran Road, and around.

13/03/2023

The consultation period is coming to an 'official' end on Friday. Please ask any concerned people to lodge an objection before then.

You may also like to contact our Faughan councillors or local MLAs /MPs to raise your concerns about this particular rural site and the proposal to industrialise it. This is just not the right site for this scale of development. Our countryside should be protected.

With the upcoming elections, the Planning Committee are not due to meet until after May...we will keep you posted.

Thanks for all your objections. Let's hope the planners hear the community. There are just too many red flags around safety and the environment!

(Image from a site near Ballymena. An early draft of this post deleted -sorry!)

07/03/2023

In the news.....

Large containers holding big batteries could be erected on the outskirts of Claudy village.

07/03/2023

The story about this planning application is on BBC Radio Foyle this morning. We are so pleased that the views of locals are being heard. This is just not the site for an industrial development of this nature.

05/03/2023

The 'battery' has moved to the Gortnaran Road. Apologies to our neighbours because it is an eyesore.

Though at least there is only one. It isn't surrounded by control rooms, security fencing, lights and CCTV. It doesn't make any noise.....it won't explode...

It won't have any adverse environmental impacts and it doesn't permanently ruin the rural character of the area.....

This is simply the wrong location for an industrial scale battery site.

Please object to this site and get your friends to, as well. It is open until 17 March. It takes about 3 minutes.
https://planningregister.planningsystemni.gov.uk/application/665758
(Go to comments tab)

04/03/2023

https://planningregister.planningsystemni.gov.uk/application/665758

Go to comments tab to object

Thanks to this person for creating 1 battery = 5.6m x 2.3m X 1.3m. It is in Cow Market car park today.

02/03/2023

Information and news about the planned Claudy Battery Site.

02/03/2023

In the news.....

Derry Now:

https://www.derrynow.com/news/local-news/1049144/county-derry-residents-launch-objections-to-battery-energy-storage-system-plans.html

Belfast Live:
https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/explosion-concern-hseni-over-co-26363515

Fire risk at proposed battery storage site 'extremely low', applicants insist