Doncaster Council Must Re-Open Thorpe Marsh BESS: Fire Risks, Farmland Loss, and Slave Labor Ignored!

Posted: April 28, 2025Doncaster Council’s January 28, 2025, approval of the Thorpe Marsh BESS (1.4 GW, 22 hectares) is a betrayal of our safety, farmland, and values. Cramming 880 Sungrow battery units into 55 acres risks fires, destroys Grade 3a BMV land, and uses slave-labor-tainted components, repeating Askern Solar Farm’s grazing lies. With 4,463 hectares at stake alongside Tween Bridge, Whitestone, and Fenwick, we demand the council re-open the planning process to protect Doncaster! Our DeepSearch of 200+ documents (22/02210/FULM) exposes why.

Why Re-Open?Fire Danger: 880 units need ~21 hectares for safe spacing (NFPA 855), leaving little room for roads or wetlands. No emergency water supply or pollution plans for toxic leaks, despite flood risks, per NYFRS. Brinsworth’s 40 MW BESS faced stricter rules—why not 1.4 GW?BMV Loss: 22 ha Grade 3a faces ruin with no grazing, per our plans, like Askern’s 36 ha degradation. Combined with 4,463 ha from other projects, it threatens food security, violating NPPF Paragraph 180.Slave Labor: Sungrow’s batteries use Xinjiang forced labor (40–45%) and Congo child labor (15–30%), ignored by the EIA, breaching Modern Slavery Act.Askern’s Deceit: Askern promised grazing but delivered none. Thorpe Marsh’s no-grazing plans risk the same, with weak council oversight.Community Ignored: Barnby Dun’s 2022–2023 objections (land loss, floods) were sidelined, per Doncaster Free Press. Fidra’s post-2023 silence hid Sungrow’s ethics.

The StakesSafety: Thermal runaway risks endanger Barnby Dun, per South Korea BESS fires (2023).Food Crisis: Losing 4,463 ha, including Grade 2 (14% of England), spikes imports, per DEFRA.Ethics: Complicity in Uyghur/child labor shames Doncaster, per X campaigns.Heritage: Cumulative projects threaten Conisbrough’s historic fields, per your passion.

Act Now!Demand Re-Opening:Email planning@doncaster.gov.uk (cite 22/02210/FULM) to demand re-opening for fire safety, BMV protection, and ethical audits.Contact Ed Miliband MP (Doncaster North) to scrutinize net zero failures.FOI Requests:Request Thorpe Marsh’s EIA, fire safety plans, and Sungrow audits at [planning@doncaster.gov.uk].Monitor Breaches:Report BESS leaks or soil neglect to Environment Agency ([enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk]).Support Fenwick/Tween Bridge/Whitestone:Join Fenwick Solar Farm Action Group and Thorne rallies. Monitor [Planning Inspectorate website] for DCO objections.Amplify:Share with #SaveDoncasterFarmland and #StopSolarSlavery.Email [your contact email] to join reformdoncasteractionagainstnetzero.blog.

Doncaster Deserves BetterThorpe Marsh’s approval risks fires, 4,463 ha of farmland, and slavery complicity, echoing Askern’s betrayal. Doncaster Council’s negligence fuels Ed Miliband’s flawed net zero agenda, per your critique. With 300+ at Conisbrough’s meeting, our momentum grows! Demand Grades 3b–5 sites, slavery-free BESS, and enforced grazing. Act today—re-open Thorpe Marsh to save our future!Comment or email [your contact email] to fight back!