Marsh Lane Energy Storage Project

Innova Renewables has submitted a planning application for an energy storage development on the land at Gowhole, located approximately 1 km north west of Furness Vale, Derbyshire. The site has been carefully selected and designed during a detailed assessment process considering grid availability, heritage, landscape & amenity, ecology and environmental designations, access, and agricultural quality. 

The project would be operational for thirty years, after which the site would be restored to its original condition. 

The UK has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050 and a target to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2035. The Proposed Development would support the UK’s transition to Net Zero and increase the use of renewable energy through supporting the availability of energy to the National Grid. 
 
An important aspect of the development is engaging with the local community. We held consultation events on Thursday 10th August at the Furness Vale Social Club and the Library Lecture Room. It was great to discuss this project with you, gather valuable feedback and implement your suggestions within the project.   

The UK has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050 and a target to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2035. This requires an extra 3GW of solar to be built each year. Renewable energy developments like Marsh Lane Energy Storage Project are a key part of addressing the Climate Emergency. The development will serve a key role in this vital transition to renewable energy. 

High Peak Borough Council has declared a climate emergency and is committed to working towards the aspiration of making the area as a whole carbon neutral by 2030.  

We have proposed a Marsh Lane Energy Storage Project to be located on the land at Gowhole, located approximately 1 km north west of Furness Vale, Derbyshire. 

The proposed layout of the site has been informed by an analysis of the site character, and environmental and physical constraints and opportunities, drawing on desk and field work by a team of experts in landscape, heritage, agricultural land quality, noise, hydrology, and ecology. Our design process has informed a layout with minimal visual impacts, building on the established landscape framework that surrounds the site and mitigates views into it. 

Access information:

Construction vehicles will travel along the A6, and onto the A6015 via the signalised junction, coming on the A6015 and onto Marsh Lane before turning into the site. Traffic management measures will be employed to ensure safe entry and exit from this junction. Advanced notification will be provided for road users and residents ahead of the anticipated four-month construction period. Upon completion of construction there will be minimal traffic during the operational period with maintenance only requiring a site visit roughly once per month.  

Cable route:

The substation building will be connected to the local electricity network via an underground cabling. 

A range of specialist consultants have been undertaking surveys to inform the scheme design process, for example: 

Landscape & Visual: The site currently benefits from existing landscape screening, within an extensive network of bounding hedges and woodland. We are planning to enhance and reinforce that screening.  

A Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment is currently underway. Our application includes photomontages showing how the proposals would look within the landscape, taken from key viewpoints recommended by our consultant. 

Cultural Heritage and Archaeology: Our specialists have carried out cultural heritage assessments, which indicated that no buried archaeological remains are known to be present, and it has been assessed that the likelihood of any being present in this area will be very low.  

There are no designated heritage assets that would be physically impacted by the development, nor would there be harm to any designated heritage assets as a result of any change in their setting. 

Ecology: A bespoke biodiversity strategy is being prepared that ensures existing and new habitats are enhanced or created to benefit local wildlife. Ecology studies have been undertaken to identify the impact of current proposals and we will use this information to design and develop our long-term management plan for the site. 

Hydrology: A flood risk assessment is underway to ensure the proposed development is not at risk from surface water or river flooding and to employ mitigations if found to be necessary. The site is outside any area identified as being at risk of flooding. 

Noise: Specialist noise consultants are working with us to assess the potential noise that would be generated by the project both during the construction phase and once operational. Our projects often incorporate mitigation measures to manage noise outputs where needed. That might include, for example, acoustic louvres and walls around some electrical equipment. Features like acoustic walls can also create an opportunity to help integrate projects into their host environments through the use of different external colour treatments. We will include our noise assessment work in the coming weeks. 

Other surveys that were undertaken are: 

• Agricultural Land Quality 
• Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)