Whitestones Birks Farm, Longmanhill (49.9 MW battery storage)
Whitestones Birks Farm, Longmanhill is a 49.9 MW battery storage project in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Its status in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract) is: refused on 7 November 2025; the record was last updated on 9 December 2025.
49.9 MWbattery storage
refusedstatus in REPD
9 December 2025record last updated
Aberdeenshirecouncil area
Planning timeline
| Date | Stage |
|---|---|
| 11 June 2025 | Application submitted |
| 7 November 2025 | Refused by the planning authority |
Project details
- Technology
- battery storage (stand-alone storage)
- Capacity
- 49.9 MW
- Status (REPD)
- refused
- Record last updated
- 9 December 2025
- Operator or applicant
- OPDE UK Limted
- Planning authority
- Aberdeenshire
- Planning application reference
- APP/2025/0871
- Address (REPD)
- S/O Whitestones, Birks Farm, Longmanhill, Banff
- Council area (by location)
- Aberdeenshire
- Time to decision
- 21 weeks
- Name in REPD
- Whitestones Birks Farm, Longmanhill - BESS
- REPD reference
- 18416
Who decides
| Applications | Aberdeenshire | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 200 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 64 (32%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 1 of 40 | 12% |
| Onshore wind refused | 60 of 132 | 45% |
| Battery storage refused | 3 of 28 | 16% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 40.6 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 15 / 13 | — |
Other large projects within 10 km
| Project | Type | MW | Status | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairnandrew | wind farm | 6 | refused | 2.3 |
| Law Of Doune Road, Macduff | battery storage | 49.9 | approved, not built | 3.3 |
| Denhead | solar farm | 25 | approved, not built | 7.9 |
| Stoneyhill | wind farm | 30.6 | application withdrawn | 9.3 |
| Brownside Farm - Electricity Production Facility & Battery Storage | solar farm | 35 | approved, not built | 9.7 |
| Hill of Fishrie | wind farm | 11.3 | refused | 10.0 |
Status and dates as recorded in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract); the database is compiled from public sources and can lag behind council decisions. Location: REPD grid reference (57.647, -2.4523).