Bristol Greens Oppose Avonmouth Data Centre
Bristol Greens have voiced their objection to a huge new data centre planned in Avonmouth, citing environmental concerns and the need for a comprehensive strategy from the Government on AI infrastructure.
The planning application, which is for a huge new data centre on a site on Severn Road, has been submitted to Bristol City Council and has already received over 3600 objections.
The Environment Agency has objected to the application based on the risk of flooding, the risk of pollution from land contamination into the water, the risk to groundwater from the fuel cell technology and an insufficient construction plan to manage pollution and protect water quality. [1]
Rob Bryher, former chair of a Bristol planning committee and councillor for St George West said:
“We want data centres of the kind proposed in Avonmouth to have much clearer guidelines for water use. Data centres should not be more important than water for households, essential food production or to revitalise our ecosystems.
“We all implicitly rely on digital infrastructure to navigate the modern world, but there is a limit to how much we can push our ecological boundaries. Similarly to airport expansion, it is not one expansion of data centres that will break the national carbon budget, it is the accumulation of many planning permissions granted that will. It is therefore logical to oppose new local proposals until the Government gets its act together to put in the most stringent control measures.
“We need far more information about whether this proposed Avonmouth data centre will provide services for our national security and public services, or just provide another means for private tech oligarchs to destroy our planet.
“It is absurd that new data centres are deemed as essential infrastructure while no new reservoirs are planned during the hottest year on record, the Government does not yet accept urban street trees as essential infrastructure and our farmers’ crops could fail. We are knowingly baking in negative environmental feedback loops, and the Labour Government are doing nothing about it.”
The Green Party has also called on the government to immediately end the blanket designation of new data centres as ‘critical infrastructure’ and tighten planning rules to prevent a rash of new data centres taking precedence over households for water and energy usage. [2]
Green Leader Zack Polanski said that the Government must put in place stricter environmental rules and give communities more say on whether the centres are built in their area.
Green are calling on the government to urgently develop a comprehensive national strategy for AI infrastructure.[3]
Notes:
- https://pa.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/files/1112932F59CF27E1F0736D36557086C5/pdf/26_12083_F-ENVIRONMENT_AGENCY-4279271.pdf
- Green Party calls for govt to ‘slam the brakes’ on new data centre approval after water shortage fears – Green Party
- The Green Party is calling for a comprehensive national strategy for AI infrastructure which prioritises:
Community-led decision making. Local areas should have a say in where data centres are built.
Environmental responsibility. Data centres should be built on brownfield sites close to renewable energy hubs and so that they can be powered, wherever possible, from 100 per cent renewable sources. All data centres should report audited annual figures on water and electricity consumption, and investment must prioritise less water-intensive cooling methods, energy efficiency and technology for capturing and redirecting waste heat for local heating.
Digital sovereignty
The UK is currently dependent on foreign-owned infrastructure for critical services, from healthcare diagnostics to public safety. Furthermore, AI decisions are increasingly made by ‘black-box’ systems that are almost impossible to scrutinise.
We need to develop and invest in UK AI infrastructure, with the focus being on more control, regulation and transparency.
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