Excerpt from a CPRE email today

Thank you for supporting a pause on unchecked data centre development until the government has a real plan for them. Thousands of other people agree with you.

There are many worrying impacts associated with data centres. They use up land and harm the environment. They’re incredibly resource-intensive. And all too often local communities aren’t getting a say. Applications in places like the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere and London's Green Belt suggest that the countryside is being earmarked for industrialisation.

Learn more about data centres....

https://www.cpre.org.uk/explainer/what-are-data-centres-and-why-are-we-asking-for-a-pause-on-them/

We’ve created this explainer to answer some of the questions you might have about data centres and the campaign we’re developing.

Data centres support our day-to-day digital lives. But new applications are coming in fast – largely to support the growth in AI. Some of the biggest proposals coming forward are in the countryside. They need to be planned smarter and better, and we know it can be done from some of the positive examples emerging in other countries.

But right now, with no dedicated rules for data centres, it feels like a free-for-all. We can’t afford to ignore the impacts. The government needs to come up with a plan now.

Together we can choose a different path for our countryside.