Fire and Rescue Services: Clean Energy Projects

Lord Roe of West Wickham Excerpts

Thursday 26th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

The Government already have moved to make sure that the fire services and developers are closely involved in applications as far as large batteries are concerned. The planning practice guidance has been updated to ensure that developers consult fire services in the pursuit of their applications. The fire service itself considers that to become a statutory consultee would prove enormously bureaucratic and additional to its particular work, and is in line with that particular planning practice guidance update.

[Lord Roe of West Wickham (Lab)]

My Lords, I declare an interest as the chair of the national Building Safety Regulator and the former London Fire Commissioner. I thank my noble friend the Minister for his Answer. Given the comprehensive new guidance that the Government have published with the National Fire Chiefs Council in December 2025 to directly address the issue of battery energy storage system consultation with fire services, if I was in my former role I would certainly agree that we would have preferred that, rather than the bureaucracy of being a statutory consultee. However, on a related matter, what action are the Government taking following the serious substation fire at Heathrow Airport, which my colleagues at the time fought for many days under very dangerous circumstances, and which closed the airport? Could my noble friend provide an update on how his department intends to implement the 12 recommendations arising from the subsequent National Energy System Operator investigation?

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

My noble friend, to whom I pay tribute for his enormous service in the fire service over a number of years, really ought to be the person who knows what he is talking about on this subject. He refers to the fire in North Hyde a little while ago, which, as noble Lords will know, caused considerable problems at Heathrow Airport in 2025. That was subject to a NESO investigation into the circumstances around that particular fire, which related to faulty maintenance in a substation. As a result of that investigation by NESO, the Government have accepted all the recommendations that were put forward in the report and are working closely with other government departments and the energy industry in implementing the 12 recommendations and 20 related actions, detailed in the Government’s response to that investigation. Among other things, that ensures a joined-up approach across organisations to improve energy resilience, emergency response and recovery. The majority of actions are forecast to be delivered by the end of 2026.