Havering Friends of the Earth

Proposed East Havering Data Centre

Whisper it quietly: there's a plot afoot to build the biggest data centre in Europe, on green belt farmland in Havering.

At the centre of the proposed North Ockendon "campus" would be a vast array of computer servers, to be used for data storage and cloud services. This, together with ancillary equipment such as power controllers and batteries, would be housed in a number of warehouse-sized buildings, some over 20m high. The earmarked site comprises around 190 hectares (470 acres) of land, most of which is currently in arable use (crops) with some pasture, woodland and hedgerows.

Why we oppose this scheme

Havering Friends of the Earth considers that such a large and resource-hungry development is completely inappropriate in a semi-rural green belt area, which is already under threat from developments such as the Lower Thames Crossing. Construction would mean more than 10 years of noise and disruption for residents. We believe 4 farms would be lost in the process.

The UK currently imports 40% of our food, and we need to reduce this by becoming more self-sufficient. With a growing number of mouths to feed, we must retain what farmland we still have, and - crucially - make farming a valued and profitable business again, so that there is less incentive to sell up.

The data centre would consume a huge amount of electrical power, much of which would end up as heat. It is proposed to divert some of this into enclosed "vertical farming" units, but we don't see how these could compensate for the loss of so much traditional open farmland. A vast amount of water would also be needed for cooling - this in an area where water supplies are already challenged.

Although thousands of workers might be employed temporarily during construction, the few hundred long-term jobs created after completion would be specialised and not necessarily filled by local people.

We believe it would make more sense to combine such an installation with, say, a housing development on brownfield land, where the waste heat can be used to heat the homes (a so-called District Heating Scheme).

Local Democracy at risk

As we all know, Havering council is in dire financial straits. They appear to regard this scheme simply as a source of income and employment, which perhaps explains their reluctance to listen to arguments against it. In fact, they want to use a mechanism called a Local Development Order (LDO), instead of a full Planning Application, to fast-track permission for the project. We regard this as a dangerous precedent, as it involves quicker decision-making with less consultation.

Awareness is growing that local democracy is in danger of being bypassed. Plans for this scheme were apparently discussed back in 2022, but little was revealed in those early stages, and the public backlash is only now gathering momentum. Anger is mounting among residents in the quiet countryside (pictured: Fen Lane), who face years of noise and disruption, and a likely devaluation of their properties.

Havering Friends of the Earth is on their side, and we intend to make opposition to this unwarranted development a priority campaign.

See also our June 2024 column for the Romford Recorder.