Angela Rayner Facing Legal Action Over Data Centre Construction on Environmentally Protected Land | Environmental Activism

The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, is facing a legal challenge after she overruled a local council to approve a hyperscale datacentre on green belt land near the M25 in Buckinghamshire. Campaigners are arguing that no environmental impact assessment was made for the 90MW datacentre, which was approved as part of the Labour government’s push to increase the UK’s computing capacity. The energy demand of the datacentre could lead to higher local electricity prices, and the lack of an environmental assessment is considered “baffling” by the tech equity campaign group Foxglove and the environmental charity Global Action Plan. Oliver Hayes, the head of campaigns at Global Action Plan, is questioning whether the societal benefits of chatbots and deepfakes are worth sacrificing progress towards a safe climate and a reliable water supply. The local council had previously refused planning permission for the facility, citing its potential impact on the area’s appearance, air quality, and protected species. Despite an appeal, a public inquiry favored consent, concluding that no environmental impact assessment was needed. Critics argue that datacentres are intrusive, noisy, and provide few jobs, while the applicant, Greystoke, claims the project will create approximately 230 jobs and support additional positions in the wider economy.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/21/angela-rayner-hit-with-legal-challenge-over-datacentre-on-green-belt-land