The Labour Party is making a promise in their election manifesto to eliminate barriers hindering the development of datacentres, which have impeded the UK’s economic growth. The party plans to reclassify datacentres as “nationally significant infrastructure projects,” meaning approval to build new datacentres would no longer be granted by local authorities. Instead, developers would submit plans to the Planning Inspectorate for review. This move aims to expedite the development of datacentres, addressing the growing demand for colocation capacity.
Labour’s shadow secretary of state for science, innovation, and technology, Peter Kyle, emphasized the importance of facilitating datacentre growth to meet economic demands. The party aims to prioritize datacentre projects, citing a case where a £2.5bn datacentre proposal was blocked by a Conservative government minister. Kyle highlighted the economic benefit of datacentres and the need to bridge the infrastructure gap to support modern technologies.
While Labour’s focus on datacentre development is welcomed by the industry, concerns about sustainability arise. Mark Yeeles of Schneider Electric stressed the need for new datacentres to prioritize sustainability and contribute value to local communities. Graeme Malcolm of M Squared emphasized the importance of balancing datacentre growth with environmental concerns, especially regarding issues like power consumption and site selection.
The potential impact on green spaces, like the datacentre project in Iver, raises environmental concerns among industry experts. Calls to consider alternative sites, like brownfield land, and to address challenges around power access are raised. Collaborative efforts to upgrade the national grid and streamline energy connections are proposed to support the growth of sustainable datacentres in the UK.