Scheme

A new standalone battery storage site near Chatterley Whitfield was proposed, providing the potential to power 140,000 homes for a period of two hours when called upon.

Strategy

The plans presented a number of challenges, including misconceptions about the nature of battery storage sites and their safety, as well as the fact that the site was located within the Green Belt. The site was also located close to another proposed battery storage site, which had been the subject of a very active opposition campaign.

Meeting Place was brought onto the project to conduct a programme of political engagement and light-touch community engagement. We built relationships with the site’s ward members and raised awareness of the plans with the local community via a letter drop and the creation of a dedicated project website.

Shortly before the determination of the application, the Council underwent elections and changed hands. This led to significant changes at a committee level, with a host of new members who were new to the council and who were unfamiliar with the proposals.

Meeting Place produced a pre-committee briefing document, which was sent to members shortly before determination. This was informed by conversations that Meeting Place had with members and officers and it contained information on the benefits of the proposals, quotes from the officer’s report, and an FAQ to help dispel some of the misconceptions locally about battery storage facilities.

Meeting Place also advised the client to focus pre-committee engagement on Labour members as they were the most likely to be supportive and provide the path to a positive determination.

Outcome

The application was approved by Stoke-on-Trent’s Planning Committee in 2023, with all Labour members in attendance voting in favour of the application.