Why 5,000 people are fighting Norwich data centre?

Nearly 5,000 people have signed a petition opposing a planned data centre near Norwich, according to the BBC, as the developer prepares to submit a formal planning application to South Norfolk District Council.

The seven-acre Norwich Apex Data Centre would sit on a 32-acre business park at Keswick, just south of Norwich, on land off Ipswich Road opposite a Tesco superstore. Permission for the wider business park has already been granted and construction is underway, but the data centre itself still needs separate approval.

The facility would draw 150 MW of electricity and sits roughly 650 metres from Marston Marsh, a protected nature site in the River Yare valley, the BBC reported.

The UK had an estimated 477 data centres last year, a number expected to grow by about a fifth in the coming years as AI systems drive demand for processing power, the BBC reported.

The UK ranks as the world's third-largest data centre market behind the US and Germany, and the government has classified the facilities as critical national infrastructure central to the country's economic strategy.

During a highly attended consultation meeting in Keswick this week, protesters were present outside the meeting holding up placards. According to Jan Hill, chairwoman of Keswick Parish Council, people desire additional information after the submission of the application, saying she is worried that the village might be incorporated into Greater Norwich.

Sue Gilbert, who lives in the area, expressed worry over the health of the Yare Valley environment and the manner in which the amount of energy consumed by the data centre would be addressed because of the hot summer weather.

According to James Harvey of the South Norfolk Green Party, this matter is "nuanced", although he supports the need for more data centres and solar installations.

The Norwich Apex managing director, William Anthony, told the BBC that the centre would be powered by offshore wind power using the Norwich to Tilbury grid link, saying that construction would ensure that energy was not wasted before the link was completed.

He noted that the centre would operate with a closed-loop water cooling system that would not need any extra water other than that used by kitchen staff members at the centre, unlike the US centres that have been criticised for water and noise pollution.

According to Anthony, the data centre will create less traffic than the already approved business park, while operating more efficiently compared to the old centres. The Norwich Apex's own consultation material states that the centre will create between 100 and 150 jobs upon completion.