Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system

I've responded to the government consultation on Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system via Foxglove.

 Dear Planning Policy Consultation Team,

I am an individual responding to the government’s consultation on ‘Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system’ (question 64).

Thank you for giving the British public the opportunity to have their say on these plans.

I want to register my concerns as an individual about the potentially devastating impact of new data centres on the environment, on water and electricity production and use, and on the UK’s transition to Net Zero and green energy.

The companies building these data centres are some of the richest on the planet. The government must make their involvement conditional on their investment in green energy – ensuring they give more than they take for the UK and from the environment.

The impacts can and should be mitigated by the planning application process in the following straightforward and commonsense ways:

1. Companies building new data centres must be able to show that the centre will have no negative impact on our targets to avoid climate catastrophe, including Net Zero by 2023.

2. Companies building new data centres must be able to show that the centre will not place significant additional burdens on our power and water supply.

3. Companies building new data centres should provide a plan explaining how it will sustainably meet the power and water needs of the centre without burdening the UK’s existing power and water supplies. Any costs associated with the additional energy or water requirements of a new data centre application must be covered by them - not by the British taxpayers.

Thank you, 

Ray Corrigan