RESIDENTS in rural areas of north Thurrock have joined forces with neighbours on the outskirts of havering in opposing plans to create 'Europe's largest data centre'.

And they are concerned that the scheme for the East Havering Data Centre in North Ockendon is not being publicised enough.

They fear their concerns about its feasibility are going 'under the radar' and the project will be given the green light without proper scrutiny and publicity.

The data centre is being proposed by Digital Reef, a London-based infrastructure developer. Straddling the boundary of Havering and Thurrock, it would consist of 40 hectares of data centre space, battery storage, horticulture, and educational and renewable energy facilities.

Its backers say it will bring big advantages to the region, including a 113-hectare 'ecology park' which Digital Reef says will be accessible to members of the public.

The red shaded area show the location of the site close to Bulphan.

The scheme has found provisional favour with Havering Council which has stated that it will boost employment by creating 1,240 jobs and bring in funds that can help cover vital services.

A report on the site and the progress of the planning process relating to it can be read via this link.

The scheme is more than two years in the making, and Thurrock Nub News first reported on it in November 2022, when the projected jobs number was well in excess of 2,000!

Local residents say that in the intervening period they have struggled to get recognition for their opposition and fear the scheme is being 'railroaded' through.

Resident Emma Edmonds sums up local frustration, telling Nub News: "Havering Council have not engaged with residents at all.

"The datacentre is planned to be built on Green Belt and the rare Fenns. Havering Council have not engaged with residents at all, just saying 'no comment'.

"They are trying to slip in without anyone finding out but we intend to fight this as it will destroy the beautiful green belt and fens

"It's a flood plain and we all know how much water are used for these datacentres. It will have to be discharged somewhere and threatens the environment. Bulphan is downhill from the site and in a floodplain.

"It already suffers from flooding when we get heavy rain, this isn't going to help.

"We all recognise we need data storage but not of this magnitude. Why not split it into four small ones and place them round the area?

"We residents have not had a proper say. They have no idea how bad this is and how devastating it will be for the local environment."

A spokesperson for Havering Council said: "The council is confident that if the data centre is approved, it will be a catalyst for new high tech industries locating in the borough providing further job opportunities, particularly for our young people."

However, sharing the opinion of Ms Edmonds, Ian Pirie, the co-ordinator of climate action group Havering Friends of the Earth, said many residents "totally oppose" the plans and he highlights the issues construction will also bring to a prime rural location.

He said: "The data centre will take between ten and 12 years to build, and the impact of lorries during construction will be intolerable in these quiet country lanes.

"The impact on the site, if it is built, would also be unacceptable: instead of farmland, there will be a large number of warehouse-sized buildings, containing banks of computers, batteries, cooling systems, backup power sources, and more equipment."

He added: "If this development is allowed, it will set a precedent, and we would then lose more and more of our Green Belt. The Green Belt forms the lungs of our city, providing clean air as well as rich wildlife.

"The plan to build such a massive structure on the Green Belt doesn't just affect the residents of North Ockenden. If we allow this creeping industrialisation of our countryside, where will it stop?"

The group has also challenged the council on the site's ecofriendly credentials, raising concerns it will "demand a tremendous amount of electricity and enormous quantities of water".

The campus will be powered by the substation in Warley, which some have argued will constitute a reliance on fossil fuels.

A spokesperson for Havering Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it will meet net-zero targets and not produce any emissions. It will be powered entirely by renewable sources and no diesel will be used in any back-up supply, the spokesperson said.

The council and Digital Reef will hold a public consultation in due course but resident Danny Leach, whose farm backs on to the proposed site, said locals feel "shut out".

A resident of the area for 19 years, he said he felt "angry" that residents were only told of it relatively recently, despite the plan having been in development for around two years.

The view from Danny Leach's historic home that will be obliterated by the development.

He added that his 178-year-old home will "feel every vibration" of the construction work and the work would have a "massive impact" on the openness of the area.

He said: "Why not build three or four around the M25? But the land's cheap here and fewer people to scream when you pour boiling water on them.

"I'm going to get views of 60 and 80 foot buildings – eight of them the size of Tesco superstores. It could force us to move."

Though the council has said it will look into mitigating noise during construction and operation, he said he had "no idea" how it would be done without an adverse effect on people living nearby.

Another resident, living in nearby Church Lane, said she opposed the scheme "on almost every level".

She said access to the centre will be via a "narrow country lane" and there wasn't the infrastructure to support it.

She said: "These are B-roads, not A-roads.

"It's going to have an absolutely horrendous effect on residents of Fen Lane."

Digital Reef's plans.

While councillors have also been accused of not listening to their constituents, the authority spokesperson added that it would.

They added: "Councillors could, if they wish, comment on the concept of the data centre, but are not in a position to comment on the proposals while it is still in development and essential research remains unfinished.

"Councillors are aware of the strength of feeling of some residents in North Ockendon but they also have to consider the broader interests of the Havering community as a whole."

Digital Reef is pursuing a local development order (LDO), which does not require a formal planning application. A decision will be made by the council's Strategic Planning Committee which consists of three members of the council's ruling group, Havering Residents Association, two Conservatives and a Labour councillor. 

LDOs are often sought because they are more streamlined and can mean plans get passed quicker, but have been criticised for being 'less rigorous'.

Residents have since launched a Change.org petition – Just Say "NO" to the Mega Data Centre in the Greenbelt countryside – that has received almost 500 signatures.

You can sign it via this link.