On the 7th of September, Basingstoke MP, Maria Miller introduced a 10 Minute Rule Bill about the fire safety of industrial lithium-ion battery storage facilities.
The Bill was greeted with a warm response from across the House and was granted a second reading on the 24th of March.
Maria said ‘’I was glad that my Bill had the support of so many of my parliamentary colleagues. This issue is a non-political and MPs from all parties appreciate that we must ensure that these battery facilities are located in appropriate locations and that the correct fire safety authorities are consulted during the planning process.
Industrial battery sites must be correctly regulated, otherwise, in the words of a prominent fire chief, we risk creating the next legacy fire issue. I look forward to meeting with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to discuss this issue further.’’
Maria’s Bill will make the relevant fire safety authorities statutory consultees. In the meantime, Maria has called for a review of all battery sites awaiting construction until the relevant authorities are consulted.