🌲 Destruction of National Forest Woodland Is Not Green

The National Forest is one of Britain’s major reforestation efforts — turning post-industrial landscapes into a living carbon sink.

Felling 2.5 acres of woodland for battery containers is the opposite of what the forest was created for.

Woodland isn’t just trees — it’s habitat, carbon sequestration, air cooling, flood protection, and community space.


> “If this were a private company clearing woodland for a car park, there would be public outrage. But when it’s labelled ‘Net Zero infrastructure’, it suddenly gets a green pass. That’s hypocrisy.”

🔥 BESS Sites Carry Real Risks

Lithium-ion battery systems are known fire and explosion hazards — with toxic PFAS emissions, especially during thermal runaway events.

No independent safety audit appears to have been conducted for the Overseal site. Residents near retirement homes will now live next to industrial-scale energy storage with:

Limited fire suppression

High voltage risk

Unknown long-term pollution effects

🛤️ No Clear Public Benefit

This BESS will store 50MW, but it’s not tied to local solar or wind — it’s connecting to the former Drakelow power station, a grid export node.

That means:

No energy sovereignty

No cheaper bills for locals

No community dividend


Woodland is lost for a private developer’s profit, not a democratically agreed solution.

⚠️ No Coherent National Policy

There is no UK-wide BESS strategy to guide where these projects go — they’re popping up in the wrong places, often on greenfield land, close to homes, and with minimal oversight.

South Derbyshire, like many councils, has no BESS-specific planning framework or safety regulation.

The public are being forced to shoulder the environmental and health risk without real consultation.

🧭 What You’re Seeing Is Ideology, Not Sustainability

This is the dark side of Net Zero when it’s driven by targets, not common sense. Woodland is being sacrificed, rural tranquillity lost, and public safety jeopardized — all to tick a box that says “we’re reducing emissions,” even though the environmental cost is real and immediate.

👣 What Can Be Done?

If you’re looking to campaign, here’s where to start:

1. Expose the contradiction: National Forest land being cleared for Net Zero is a red flag.


2. Demand a moratorium on all BESS near homes or protected landscapes until national guidelines are in place.


3. Push for public health and fire safety reviews of all permitted BESS projects — independently assessed, not just waved through.


4. Promote alternatives: Rooftop solar, local microgrids, grid reform — not woodland destruction for lithium mega-packs.