Will the fire service be consulted on a battery planning application?

Fire safety has become one of the main questions in battery planning applications, and the fire and rescue service now has a defined place in the process. Knowing when it is consulted, and what it will look for, lets you design for it instead of redesigning after an objection. This post covers England; for the wider rules see battery storage planning permission.

When the fire service gets involved

The government’s planning practice guidance on renewable and low carbon energy added a section on battery energy storage systems in August 2023. It applies to battery systems of 1 MWh or more, other than those associated with a dwelling, and does two things:

• It encourages applicants to engage with the local fire and rescue service before submitting the application, so that siting, the response to an incident, the prevention of thermal runaway spreading and emergency access can be considered early.
• It encourages local planning authorities to consult the fire and rescue service during the formal consultation, so its views on mitigation can be taken into account in the decision.

The guidance also notes that fire and rescue services will want details of these sites for their register of site-specific risks. In practice, that means a battery of this size will be known to the fire service whether or not you engage early, so engaging early is the better route.

Below 1 MWh, consultation is not expected by the guidance, but the fire risk assessment, the insurer and the manufacturer’s siting rules still apply.

What the fire service will look at

The fire service’s reference is the National Fire Chiefs Council guidance, approved in December 2025 for open-air lithium systems of 1 MWh or more. Expect questions in these areas:

• Separation. The guidance proposes an initial minimum distance of 30 m between battery units (or associated transformers and switchgear) and occupied buildings, before mitigation such as blast walls is considered.
• Water and access. It looks for hydrants able to deliver no less than 25 litres per second; where that flow cannot be achieved, it suggests an equivalent static supply for 120 minutes, roughly 180,000 litres. It prefers an alternative access point, chosen with the likely wind direction in mind, so crews do not have to drive through a vapour cloud, or failing that a perimeter loop road.
• The equipment’s fire behaviour. Whether it has had full-scale fire testing or been certified by a recognised body, with UL 9540A given as an example.
• The plans. An outline battery safety management plan and emergency response plan, developed with the fire and rescue service, including the likely path of any vented gases and how water run-off will be managed (for example drainage, interceptors or bunded lagoons).

How to prepare before you apply

1. Fix the layout with the 30 m starting point in mind, then show where any reduction relies on mitigation and why it is justified.
2. Get the manufacturer’s test evidence early, for the exact model, not the product range.
3. Draft the emergency response plan with your installer, covering isolation, alarms, access and water, so the fire service has something concrete to comment on.
4. Make contact before you submit. Note who you spoke to and what they asked for; it strengthens the application and avoids surprises during consultation.
5. Share the same pack with your insurer, who will ask most of the same questions.

The battery storage fire safety regulations guide explains the standards behind the design, and a containerised BESS installation shows how siting fits into the rest of the project.

What it means for the programme

Early engagement adds time at the front of the project, but it is time that would otherwise appear as a consultation objection, a redesign or conditions you cannot meet. Treat it as part of feasibility, alongside the grid connection, not as a step after design is finished. If you want installers to quote for the work, request quotes here: your enquiry is passed to installers who cover your area, and this site is not one of them.