Havering (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Havering Council’s leader clarifies concerns over work at a proposed data centre near Upminster, addressing public uncertainty about site activities.
In a letter, Ray Morgon affirmed that recent construction on the East Havering Data Center’s proposed location is “not a commencement of the data center development” and is instead related to “preliminary site surveys.”
This comes after a council spokeswoman earlier stated that the local planning authority (LPA) was aware of “the works underway” on the site at Home Farm in North Ockendon, which were commissioned by data center developer Digital Reef.
The fact that these works were thought to be for exploratory surveys was initially not made clear by the council spokesperson.
“Investigations are ongoing” to ascertain the scope of the survey activities and if the developer required separate planning clearance for this, Cllr. Morgon continues.
Cllr. Morgon clarified in his letter that the council is “seeking legal advice” regarding whether Digital Reef ought to have filed for planning clearance for the site survey work in addition to the data center itself.
Cllr Morgon said in the letter:
“We want to assure the public that the planning authority has been carefully scrutinising the activity on the site.
Initial site visits were conducted following a complaint from a member of the public, further details had been requested from the developer and legal advice has been sought to ensure thoroughness.
We remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of planning and development, ensuring that all projects proceed in a manner that benefits the community and respects the environmental and legal guidelines.”
A public consultation will be held “at the appropriate stage,” though it is unclear when this would be, according to the council leader’s letter.
For the data center, the council is debating whether a local development order (LDO) is warranted.
According to the council’s website, planning clearance is “effectively granted upfront” for an LDO; nonetheless, a public consultation is still conducted prior to the order’s implementation.
“Much of the assessment work is carried out before consultation” for an LDO, according to the council’s website.
On February 14, the Recorder visited the proposed East Havering Data Centre site and observed a skip, two temporary buildings, a digger, and multiple lorries.
A prior request for comment on Digital Reef’s work was not answered.
What are the community concerns regarding this data centre?
The proposed data center will occupy about 99 acres of greenbelt area close to Upminster. With vast networks of computer servers for processing and storing data, it would be the biggest in Europe.
More than 1,000 new employment are anticipated to be created by the project, which will also greatly boost the local economy. Plans for an environment park, which would offer open green areas, are also included.
Concerns have been raised by locals and environmental organizations regarding the impact on greenbelt land as well as other environmental consequences like rising energy use and rural industrialization.
Some locals feel their opinions are not being heard, which raises issues about the planning process. In order to circumvent conventional planning processes, the developer, Digital Reef, is requesting a Local Development Order (LDO).
Due to the project’s potential for job creation and economic growth, the council leader has stated support for it.