A planning inspector has granted an appeal for a 'micro energy battery box' to be built on a busy road between Kenilworth and Leamington Spa.

Warwick District Council had refused planning permission for the battery box on Kenilworth Road last year saying it was inappropriate in the green belt.

AMP Clean Energy then submitted an appeal to the planning inspectorate, which has now been allowed.

Approving the application, an inspector's report said: "The appellant has proposed to enclose the battery boxes and fencing with landscaping.

"This would help to assimilate the development into its immediate surroundings which include trees and hedgerows.

"Landscaping of the development would be capable of being secured by an appropriately worded condition and there is sufficient space within the red edge of the application site to provide this.

"Subject to such a condition, which I find meets the relevant tests, the visual effect of the development would be limited and mitigated."

The scheme will see a 200kW battery box created to store energy from the local electricity network to be used at peak times.

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Old Milverton and Blackdown Joint Parish Council had objected to the development, saying it was inappropriate in the green belt and had not considered the impact of the K2L (Kenilworth to Leamington) cycle route.

How the battery box would have looked (image via planning application)

The application explained: "Each battery box connects into the low voltage electricity network, this is the lowest and most local point in the distributed system, where there is an increasing demand for electricity with the electrification of transport and heating systems.

"Stored electricity from the battery box will be exported and consumed locally.

"For the avoidance of any doubt, each battery box connects directly to the local electricity network, from which it can import or export electricity.

"Battery boxes do not directly connect to existing wind or solar farms.

"AMP Clean Energy is developing up to 1,250+ Battery Boxes in the UK over the next three years."

The box will take up a piece of land around the size of two parking spaces, outside Leamington Rugby Club.

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See the application here.