Fields in North Ockendon, in the London borough of Havering, are the proposed site for a huge data center campus that would be one of the largest in Europe. The area sits in the middle of London's green belt on the edge of the capital.
The developer, Digital Reef, says the project would create jobs and be the most sustainable data center development in the world. Many locals oppose it. Resident Danny Leach said the construction would last eight to 20 years, with noise and about a thousand extra vehicles a day, and that the area already has two power cuts a month.
The proposal highlights the dilemma over data centers, which are needed for much of modern life but raise questions about where to put them and at what cost. Demand is rising, partly because AI needs more processing power. There are about 477 data centers in the UK, and construction researchers Barbour ABI expect about 100 more, mostly in London and the South East.
A report for the Greater London Authority says energy is the single most critical constraint on London's data center growth. New grid connections may take seven to 13 years in west London, compared with three to seven years in other European markets. It says a 100-megawatt hyperscale data center in the UK can use up to 2.5 billion liters of water a year, equal to the needs of about 80,000 people. Data centers in London currently use about 5 percent of drinkable water, a share expected to rise to 7 percent.
The draft London Plan says data centers in suitable locations should be supported in principle, but only if water and electricity capacity is available, and that green belt land should be considered only if no brownfield sites are available. London Mayor Sadiq Khan says he wants the capital to have the most sustainable data centers in the world.
Digital Reef did not respond to a request for comment. On its website it says more than half the site would be a 113-hectare ecology park with new footpaths and cycling routes. Havering Council leader Keith Prince said there would be further consultation "when the time is right" and that the council would drive the hardest bargain possible for residents if it goes ahead.
