Britain’s data centre invasion: Humming warehouses which dwarf the countryside use enough energy to power 10,000 homes and draw on water supplies…and one could be coming next door to you

Poppies in full bloom (thousands of them) cover the area in a deep red carpet, swaying and swaying in the summer breeze.

A wide Norfolk sky looms overhead, dotted with cotton wool clouds.

A magnificent view.

But fast forward six years and the scene has changed beyond recognition. The field was completely stripped and leveled; transformed from a rural idyll into a wasteland of sun-baked soil.

Farmland near the village of Keswick, just south of Norwich, is being repurposed to serve a new, more lucrative industry: artificial intelligence.

Covering seven acres, Norwich Apex Data Center is set to become one of the UK’s largest data centres, packed with high-tech equipment operating around the clock to advance the Government’s vision of an advanced, AI-driven economy.

But the plans face a serious hurdle as 7,000 local residents, including BBC broadcaster Jake Humphrey, signed a petition opposing the new site.

The data center, which architecturally resembles a cross between a warehouse and a multi-storey car park, is said to disrupt the rural character of the area, harm wildlife and create unbearable noise and traffic.

The plant will use enough energy to power 10,000 homes and draw on local water supplies for cooling, but developers insist the plant will operate a ‘closed loop’ water circulation system that will not consume more water when full.

The first photo was taken in 2020. This is its current state as the site is ready for development

In architectural renderings, the site looks like a cross between a warehouse and a multi-storey car park

Far from being a purely local issue, the dispute is the latest front in a wider battle that pits AI advocates led by the Labor Government against a coalition of local people, councils and campaigners championing their vision for rural Britain.

All of this will sound all too familiar to American ears.

The United States, which has spawned tech giants running the world’s leading artificial intelligence systems, has been in a data center building boom for at least four years, with more than 1,500 data centers in various stages of development.

This sparked a massive grassroots backlash and united Americans across the political spectrum to call for a freeze on development.

Top politicians, often cheerleaders for AI, have been forced to take notice, and the issue is expected to play a central role in the upcoming by-elections.

Data centers are not uncommon in the UK, which by some measures has the third highest number of data centers after the US and Germany.

But data centers have yet to become political flashpoints across the Atlantic, as the number of projects still lags far behind America’s.

This may change soon. In addition to the UK’s estimated 477 existing data centres, a further 100 data centers are in the planning stages, with most planned to be built within the next five years, according to market intelligence firm Barbour ABI.

Given their need for land and much more energy than some crowded urban power grids can provide, data center developers are opting for rural locations.

And so we return to the Norfolk village of Keswick, where proposals for the 150MW Norwich Apex Data Center are facing fierce opposition after being put out to public consultation.

Villagers in Keswick say they want to preserve the area’s rural character

Aerial view of the area which has not yet been submitted for planning approval

BBC presenter Jake Humphrey insists he’s not “anti-datacentre” but the site is in the wrong place

The project is close to the Marston Marsh nature reserve, a 64-acre floodplain and grassland marsh teeming with water volcanoes, wetland birds, dragonflies and otters.

Residents also fear it will destroy the rural character of their area and lead to it being ‘absorbed’ into the city of Norwich.

Former CBBC presenter Jake Humphrey, who hosts BBC Sport’s Formula 1 coverage, is the most prominent critic of this development.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘This view is so precious because it’s one of the last places Norwich still get to softly.

‘It is rural, quiet and has an unspoiled character that has been shaped over time. This is why a data center is completely out of place here.

‘A huge, unsafe, electricity-hungry industrial plant does not belong next to marshes, river valleys, historic churches and rural homes. No matter how much planning language it wears, it will fundamentally change the feel of this entire space.

‘This will bring scale, noise, light, fencing, substations, generators, traffic and a lasting sense of industrialization to south Norwich, which is currently defined by openness, nature and history. And when it’s gone, it’s gone forever.’

Mr Humphrey, 47, a father of two, insisted he was not “against data centres” but was simply trying to protect the beloved local landscape.

‘If we allow this, you won’t be able to tell future generations that we’re protecting Norfolk. This is not an argument against technology.

‘This is an argument for putting things in the right place. A data center may be necessary somewhere, but here it is completely wrong. ‘This landscape is too rural, too historic, too sensitive and too precious to sacrifice.’

The center is proposed for a triangle of land between Ipswich and Norwich, next to the A140 and opposite a large Tesco.

The site was originally granted planning permission by South Norfolk Council to develop into a business park, and vegetation was cleared and preparatory work started before it came to an abrupt halt a few years ago.

Developers say the center will bring ‘highly skilled jobs’ and support ‘digital services people use every day’. They also promised measures to reduce noise and disguise the area using plants and trees.

A planning application has not yet been submitted, but many residents fear local opposition will be ignored and the project abandoned by the Government.

Such concerns are far from misplaced. Last week, residents of Southfleet in Kent received letters on their doorstep informing them of plans to build the Ebbsfleet AI Data Centre, which will be located on 145 acres of former farmland just outside the village.

While many plan to object, they may find their calls ignored after the project was deemed to be of ‘national significance’, allowing developer Clearstone Energy to go directly to ministers for permission rather than seek approval from the local council.

Previously reserved assignment It is aimed to accelerate the processing time of data center applications for critical infrastructures such as highways and railways by up to one year.

Ebbsfleet AI Data Center Campus project manager Simon Rothwell said local people would be consulted at every stage of the development and promised a ‘community benefits package’ to further sweeten the deal.

What developers can’t be blamed for is trying to do things cheaply. The wall of cash from investment firms and tech giants like Google and Microsoft means these projects are well-financed; A budget of £3 billion has been allocated for the Southfleet site alone.

Huge figures are also emerging for the alleged benefits that data centers will bring to the wider economy.

The company, Xlinks, claims the data center and battery storage it plans to build in Devon will contribute £3.6 billion to the national economy and create between 600 and 1,200 jobs.

Residents of the nearby town of Great Torrington are not convinced. They argue that these benefits are overstated and would be vastly outweighed by the cost of losing a staggering 850 acres of countryside.

Xlinks – was previously behind one A bid to bring renewable energy from Morocco to the UK via undersea cables has been stalled – with data campus buildings said to cover only a third of the site.

Attending a public meeting, Matt Whittaker vowed to fight.

‘Everyone stood up, but we’re doing it smartly,’ he said. ‘We act with our emotions, but we are not distracted by our hearts. This won’t just destroy the town, it’s much bigger than that.’

A site is planned for the former Truman Brewery in the heart of London’s iconic Brick Lane

Abandoned brewery building where developers want to build a data center to facilitate high-frequency trading

Jamal Khalique, born in Brick Lane in 1970, called on housing minister Steve Reed to reject the plans

Most of the new data centers are clustered around London and the Home Counties. Although the largest planned areas tend to be in rural areas, some are in cities.

Such a facility is planned for the former Truman Brewery in the heart of London’s iconic Brick Lane.

The area known for its curry houses and lively nightlife may soon find itself sharing the streets with a less cheerful neighbour, a 56,682 square meter data center that processes high-frequency financial transactions in the City.

The documents suggest the center will only have 15 full-time staff, leading locals to insist the center will ‘bring nothing’ to the area.

Jonathan Moberly, a resident and member of campaign group Save Brick Lane, said: ‘This is right in the middle of an area of ​​central London where there is a social housing waiting list of 31,000 people.

‘With 15 people working and surrounded by piles of computers, is this going to benefit the local community in any way? It definitely won’t happen.’

Proposals indicate the data center’s peak output will be 5.2 MW; Campaigners say this would be enough to power around 15,000 homes.

Tower Hamlets Council rejects £500m development. However Housing Minister Steve Reed allowed the application to have the final say by ‘calling it’.

Jamal Khalique, who was born in Brick Lane in 1970, urged him to reject the plans.

‘We are a very close-knit community here; “Nobody wants extra noise and vibration from this center,” he said. ‘Hardly anyone works here, so there will be no benefit to local businesses from foot traffic.’

The bustling streets of East London may seem to have little in common with the green spaces of Norfolk, Kent or Devon, but the battle lines being drawn are strikingly similar.

So will AI advocates prevail? Or will local communities manage to slow the tide?

Whatever the outcome, it will shape Britain’s future for decades to come.