UK faces legal issues over data center development

Campaigners are taking the UK government to court after it overturned a local planning refusal and approved a new “hyperscale” data center in Buckinghamshire. The case targets a decision to set aside the local council’s ruling and allow a 90-megawatt facility on green belt land.

Last year, Buckinghamshire Council refused permission for the project on green belt land. In UK planning, the green belt is open countryside where new buildings are tightly restricted to preserve space between towns. Developers wanted to put a large computing site there, but the authority said the scheme clashed with those rules.

Data centers are vast buildings that hold banks of servers so companies can run cloud and other remote services. Demand for space has surged as firms race to build and train powerful new artificial intelligence systems, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Environmental groups are advocating against data centers in the UK

Environmental groups warn that these facilities use huge amounts of electricity to operate around the clock. AI projects in particular have been criticized for heavy energy use, which can strain local grids and raise concerns over cooling water.

The Buckinghamshire plan was twice rejected in earlier rounds. It returned under the Labour government, which says it wants the UK to become a leading global hub for artificial intelligence by boosting national computing capacity.

In June 2024, the council again ruled the scheme would be “inappropriate” for the green belt and refused it. But last month, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner granted planning permission, reversing the local decision and clearing the way for construction.

On Thursday, campaign groups Foxglove and Global Action Plan said they had filed a statutory planning review. They are asking a court to quash Rayner’s approval, saying the project would. The government has previously argued that strengthening data center infrastructure is vital if the UK is to compete globally in AI development.

Thursday’s filing follows a January pledge by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to curb repeat legal challenges by so-called “Nimbys” against major infrastructure plans in England and Wales. Nimby is a term used for people who oppose works they see as unpleasant or risky in their area.

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