Plans revealed for battery storage site near Ayr Hospital

Apatura Ltd has requested an opinion from South Ayrshire Council on the need for an environmental impact assessment to go alongside the plans. 

The site would be located on land at Clonmacate Farm, east of the hospital site, just off the A713.

The system will store up to 200MW of energy, alongside associated infrastructure including substation, security fencing, CCTV, security lighting and landscaping.

The scheme would connect to the Ayr substation, located approximately 2.9km northwest of the proposed site.

The total site would be around five hectares in size, and would be "temporary for around 40 years". 

Following this, the development would be decommissioned and the land returned to its original state.

The proposed development would comprise of a number of containerised units to house the BESS and associated ancillary infrastructure.

Each container will have the appearance of a standard metal shipping container.

The compound would be enclosed by a 2.4m high perimeter fence, with infra-red CCTV cameras.

The construction process would take between 12 and 18 months, and additional vegetation would be planted around the site to minimise its visual impact.

Apature says it believes that the development would not have any significant effects on the environment, and argue that an EIA would not be required.

The full application can be viewed on South Ayrshire Council's planning portal by searching for the reference code 24/0227/EIASCR.