FURIOUS parents have launched a battle to block a plan for a lithium battery storage facility the size of a football field on land next to a much-loved riding school. Renewables firm Apetura want to house dozens of 12-metre-long metal ‘shipping style’ containers on a 62,000 square metre site at Townhead Farm in Newarthill, North Lanarkshire after securing a private deal for the land.
The move has been met with anger from locals who claim the development is unsuitable for the picturesque beauty spot – with one company owner saying if the proposal is rubber-stamped it will put her out of business. Taylor Bouke, who runs family-owned Miehaven Pony Club, claims the disruption caused by lorries and other heavy goods vehicles during the construction phase will be enough to force her to close.She said: “Horses are very sensitive animals and there is no way they will be able to cope with trucks and lorries coming and going literally a stone’s throw away. This is right across the road from us, and it will destroy our busines