Villagers say they are “delighted” after winning a planning battle to stop a 10-acre energy storage plant being built on farmland.

Energy firm EcoDev was seeking permission to erect a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility off Foxhounds Lane, in Southfleet, which would have been in operation for around 40 years.

It wanted to build the scheme, which included 140 battery units, 140 inverters, 70 transformers and a substation, on farmland between the village, Betsham and the A2.

According to the planning documents, it would have had a capacity of 300 megawatts (MW) powering more than 124,000 homes and acting as a “vital balancing service” to the National Grid.

The system works by charging the batteries when there is excess power available and then exporting it back to the grid when it is needed.

EcoDev said the scheme would therefore have provided an “essential and important function” and believed using a small area of agricultural land could have been supported for that reason.

It added: “There is an ever-increasing requirement and reliance on renewable forms of energy generation, such as wind and solar, to supply the UK’s energy demands.

“To meet these demands developments of scale need to be embraced in order to secure and protect energy supplies for the future.”

The Hertfordshire-based company said developments like this are “an essential component to obtaining net zero and furthering energy security”.

However, the scheme was rejected by Dartford council planning officers as there were no special circumstances to justify the development on the green belt.

In their report, they stated it would be an “inappropriate development” and “significantly” harm the openness of the green belt due to amount of industrial equipment required.

They added the extent of the scheme would conflict with the fundamental aim of national policy to protect the countryside from encroachment.

Stricter planning rules apply in the borough as 53% of the council’s jurisdiction falls in the metropolitan green belt due to its proximity with Bexley.

It was decided that due to the design and intensity of the development, it would be “detrimental” and “alien” to the character and appearance of the area.

Council officers also said the applicants failed to show no harm would arise from the loss of agricultural land or that there were no adequate surface water drainage arrangements.

Villagers living nearby the field in Southfleet and Betsham previously branded the plans “appalling” and more than 115 objections were received.

One resident who opposed the plans was Lyn Carter who was concerned about the loss of agricultural land and the potential impact it would have on wildlife.

The grandmother, who lives near the proposed site in Park Corner Road, has since welcomed the news it has been refused - but still has concerns about similar projects proposed nearby.

She said: “I am absolutely delighted and relieved as much as everyone else is. It would have been so damaging to the whole environment.

“Everyone is really happy. We hoped it would not go through and we were reasonably optimistic it would not.

“I do not know if they will appeal but from my understanding, it was rejected on some very strong planning points. It was very clear why it was being turned down.

“It was not about the neighbours or impact on the view, it was clear, planning reason which I think was quite sound.

“It would have been flouting planning law if it was to go ahead.

“We might have won this little battle but it is just a battle, it is not the war. We are not out the woods yet in this south east corner.”

Two comments of support for EcoDev’s plans were also submitted which warned that we needed to use the green belt sooner rather than later.

One said: “Projects like these are desperately needed to support the energy transition from a centralised system powered by fossil fuels to a decarbonised decentralised system.

“Unfortunately to protect the green belt of the future we will need to use some of it now as we move to a new era in energy generation.”

In November, separate plans for an energy storage facility were revealed for land off Station Road, in Southfleet.

Clearstone Energy says if the scheme goes ahead it could store a maximum of 300 MV of power, enough to power every home in Dartford, Gravesham and Sevenoaks for one hour.

The leader of Dartford council, Cllr Jeremy Kite previously said he believes such developments need to be in places that are “more urban”.

He said: “Once agricultural and rural land is lost, it is lost forever.

“Companies working to improve our energy supplies must look to the creation of new infrastructure on land that is genuinely suited to the use.

“I am sure planning members will look thoroughly at any application but I am clear that rural villages and agricultural communities deserve to be protected so that they can serve our country’s food needs long into the future.”

It is not only these kinds of developments which are considered an inappropriate development in the green belt.

The council recently rejected a bid to double the number of car boot sales held off Foxhounds Lane as there were no very special circumstances to outweigh the harm it would have on the area.

To see more planning applications and other public notices for your area, click here.

The organisers of Farmboys Country Boot Sale wanted to increase the number of bootfairs from 14 to 28 between March and September.