Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative). It was answered on Thursday, 26 February 2026.

Fire and Rescue Services: Clean Energy Projects

Question: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that Answer, but it is unacceptable, given the fire risk posed by something as highly combustible, flammable and at risk of thermal runaway as these battery energy storage facilities, that fire and rescue services should not be statutory consultees to the planning application. To look at one constituency alone, the former Vale of York constituency that I represented, there are BESS plants to be built in Scotton and Lingerfield, Bedale and South Kilvington. That will put enormous stress on the fire and rescue services of north Yorkshire, which last year had to deal with one of the most aggravating and long-term wildfires that we have seen to date. Will the Minister use his good offices to ensure that, forthwith, in any current planning application, fire and rescue services will be statutory consultees, so that they can advise on the fire risk of each individual site with a view to mitigating the fire risk?

Answer: The Government already have moved to make sure that the fire services and developers are closely involved in applications as far as large batteries are concerned. The planning practice guidance has been updated to ensure that developers consult fire services in the pursuit of their applications. The fire service itself considers that to become a statutory consultee would prove enormously bureaucratic and additional to its particular work, and is in line with that particular planning practice guidance update.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 853 c740
Session: 2024-26
Oral question type: 1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Fire prevention Fire and rescue services Public consultation Storage Batteries Clean energy
Link: View this Oral question on hansard.parliament.uk