Developers of sites involving Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) within East Sussex & the City of Brighton and Hove are urged to engage with the East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (ESFRS) at the earliest stage of planning.
This is to ensure better understanding of any risks and to help develop strategies and procedures to mitigate these risks.
Currently, fire & rescue services are not statutory consultees on BESS developments in the UK, however, we are keen to engage with developers to help them improve the fire safety of the site, and to ensure that an appropriate & safe operational response can be made should a fire occur.
Where planning permission is being sought for BESS developments exceeding 1 MW (excluding those associated with a residential dwelling); applicants are encouraged to engage with us before submitting an application to the local planning authority.
Benefits of engaging with the Local Fire & Rescue Service
- A better understanding of fire safety guidance associated with BESS developments.
- Further development of strategies and procedures to mitigate fire risks with BESS developments.
- Ensuring fire service emergency access, facilities & response plans can be considered before an application is made.
Developers wishing to engage with East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service regarding local BESS developments should contact us via this email address Firesafety.consultations@esfrs.org
When planning applications are submitted, the local planning authority are encouraged to consult with their local fire and rescue service as part of the formal period of public consultation prior to deciding the planning application.
This is to ensure that the fire and rescue service are given the opportunity to provide their views on the application to identify the potential mitigations which could be put in place in the event of an incident, and so these views can be taken into account when determining the application.
Where appropriate, ESFRS will provide a response to the consultation. Any response by ESFRS will be directed to the Planning Authority, who remain the authority on determining a planning application. ESFRS does not have the authority to determine planning applications & is a non-statutory consultee in the planning process. Should members of the community have concern regarding a planning application, the concerns should be directed to the relevant Local Planning Authority for the area.
Fire Risk Guidance for BESS Developers Prior to Planning Application Submission
We are aware that largescale BESS form part of a fairly new technology and, as such, all risks may or may not be captured in current guidance in pursuance of the Building Regulations (as amended) and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
This will highlight challenges fire services have when responding to Building Regulations consultations. For this reason, we strongly recommend applying the following guidance when developing a risk management plan:
- National Fire Chiefs Council – Guidance for Grid Scale Battery Energy Storage System Planning.
Any site design should include a safe access route for fire appliances to manoeuvre within the site (including turning circles). This includes ensuring that any route can accommodate the weight and dimensions of fire appliances, based on the larger measurement of either ESFRS vehicles or the specifications in section five of the Approved Document Part B (Fire Safety)
An alternative access point and approach route should be provided and maintained to enable appliances to approach from an up-wind direction.
As the majority of BESS sites are remotely monitored, consideration should include the fixing of a Premises Information Box at the fire service access point. This should provide an emergency response plan, including details of water supplies for firefighting, drainage plans highlighting any pollution control measures & any risks that fire-fighters may need to be aware of.
The location of BESS sites are of particular interest to fire and rescue services. Consequently, ESFRS will seek to obtain details of the design, firefighting access and firefighting facilities at these sites to maintain its register of site specific risks for the purposes of Section 7 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004.