Plans for a new 'micro-energy storage' box between Kenilworth and Leamington Spa have been thrown out by council planners.

AMP Clean Energy has seen the scheme for the 'battery box' on Kenilworth Road thrown out by Warwick District Council which said the scheme was inappropriate in the green belt.

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.

The scheme would have seen a 200kW battery box created, which would have stored energy from the local electricity network to be used at peak times.

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."

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

The box would have taken up a piece of land around the size of two parking spaces, outside Leamington Rugby Club.

Refusing planning permission, a council report said: "The proposed development would result in the addition of built form and an associated enclosure into an area which is currently free from development, and whilst this impact is localised owing to the limited overall size of the proposed scheme, the development will still result in the loss of openness to this specific section of land within the green belt from both a visual and spatial perspective. 

"This issue has been noted by the parish council. 

"Consequently, the proposed development is considered to have a harmful impact on the openness of the green belt."

See the application here.