Tech · EU Weekly
How has community reacted to major data centre plan? 2 hours ago Owen Sennitt and Paul Moseley, Norfolk political reporter BBC Sophie Pendrick said she was "shocked" to hear about the data centre plans The demand for new data centres could lead to one of the biggest in the country, being built in a rural Fenland village. Evolution Power Limited (EPL) revealed on Thursday it wants to create the facility on farmland near Tilney St Lawrence, a few miles from King's Lynn. It would require up to one gigawatt (GW) of power at any given time and the firm also wants to build a large solar farm that would generate up to 1.3GW, to support it.
The scheme, named Longmarsh Green Energy, is already causing concern, with residents saying they have been left "shocked" by the scale of the site. Here is what we know so far. Where would it be built?
The data centre itself would be built south of the A47 in an area dominated by farmland. As well as the data centre, there are proposals for a solar farm to be developed across two sites - on land surrounding the data centre and another close to the villages of Fincham and Barton Bendish. Combined, they would cover about 4,695 acres (1,900 hectares).
The data centre would also connect to the existing electricity substation at Walpole. The developer has claimed thousands of construction jobs would be created, along with more than 500 "direct operational roles" on site. If approved, the centres are planned to be operational by 2032.
Evolution Power Limited The developers said the project would cover almost 4,700 acres of land in Norfolk Who is in charge of Evolution Power? EPL was founded in 2021 and is run by directors Giles Frampton and Conor McNally. Partnering with the Finnish firm Korkia - which has invested in energy projects in Europe, North and South America – the company has "ambitious" plans for renewable schemes in the UK.
Those have included a 474 acre (192 hectare) scheme at Ashford in Kent and a 262 acre (106 hectare) scheme near Luton Airport, which was rejected by the local council but approved on appeal. More stories from Norfolk Frampton and McNally are also behind the controversial plan for a waste incinerator near Dorset's Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Dorset Council refused permission for the incinerator in 2023 but the decision was overturned by the government following an appeal.
The developers said the Longmarsh Green Energy project would create "essential infrastructure for the modern economy" and would support "digital services people use every day". Who will decide if it is built and when? The scale of the proposal deems it a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP), so the ultimate decision rests with the government rather than the local council.
However residents can still have their say and a consultation is currently open via the project's website until 26 November. An application is due to be submitted by April 2027. It could take six months for the plans to be examined by the Planning Inspectorate.
A decision could be made by July 2028. What are people saying? Following the release of the plans this week, people living nearby have been "shocked" by the scale of the scheme.
Sophie Pendrick said she felt "scared" due to the unknown disruption it could bring and she is worried about the water usage. "It looks huge," she said, adding: "Why here when there is other places they could look at where the land isn't so rich, like brownfield sites?" Sam Patel, a shop owner near the proposed site, wants to hear more about how it could benefit the community Sam Patel, a shop and pub owner, said the data centre could be "great for the nation" but he wanted to know what the benefit would be for the community. He is also worried about the construction traffic.
Alistair Beales, Independent leader of the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, said he accepted renewal energy was important, but felt Norfolk was seeing most of the green energy projects coming forward in the country. " I think that is problematic for our local communities," he added. Alistair Beales, Independent leader of the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, thinks the site's location near a RAF base could become a problem Beales said he also questioned whether the site's close proximity to RAF Marham could pose a stumbling block for the scheme.
He said: "We have seen objections elsewhere because of the dazzle [from solar farms]. "We are talking about national security here." Other issues could include the potential harm to nearby nature sites and highway concerns, Beales said. Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk?
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Source: BBC
