Council leader declares support for data centre plan

East Havering Data Centre is proposed to be built on 99 acres (40 hectares) of land - roughly the combined size of 214 football pitches

Havering Council's leader said he would not "shy away" from supporting controversial plans for a data centre.

If approved, the proposed East Havering Data Centre would be the largest in Europe and would boost the local economy, the local authority said.

The data centre, planned to be built on greenbelt land at North Ockendon, north-east London, would consist of large networked computer servers, used by companies for data storage, processing and distribution.

Ian Pirie, from Havering Friends of the Earth, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they felt "stonewalled" by the council.

It is proposed to build the data centre at North Ockendon

The data centre is proposed to be built on 99 acres (40 hectares) of land, close to the Essex border.

Havering Residents Association councillor Ray Morgon, leader of the council, said elected officials had to make “tough decisions for the whole borough” but he would not “shy away from supporting a beneficial scheme".

"These decisions are not easy but I am not shying away from declaring my support for a scheme that could be a catalyst to deliver local growth, new businesses, future job opportunities for Havering children, as well as food security, energy security and data sovereignty for our country," he said.

The council said the development could bring more than 1,000 new jobs.

'Open the floodgates'

But Havering Friends of the Earth and fellow residents groups, including North Ockendon Residents Association (Nora), are concerned about the facility - roughly the combined size of 214 football pitches - being built on greenbelt land.

A Nora spokesperson said the application would “open the floodgates”, adding: “We now have a race to the bottom to turn Cranham, Upminster and North Ockendon from green belt and conservation area into an industrial power and battery storage wasteland.”

The groups are also concerned that developer Digital Reef is pursuing a local development order (LDO) which, if granted, would mean the development would not require a formal planning application.

Instead, the development would be approved by a strategic planning committee.

Mr Pirie said: "Pressed on why the guidance for the LDO process has been ignored, we were again met with stonewalling that has been going on for some months."

The group has raised concerns that the council is simply "waving through the plan".

Mr Morgon said Digital Reef would need to meet the planning authority's "strict parameters" before being given the go-ahead.

He added: “This includes economic growth and data security, but [the planning authority] cannot consider the potential income to the council.”

He said there was “still much to do” and that Digital Reef has not yet finalised its proposals. The council has maintained that residents “will be listened to”.

A timeline for the process has not been provided, but a public consultation on the proposals could be carried out later this year.