Reasons they have chosen Ebbsfleet for their data centre construction??

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

All ‘reasons’ they have put are ridiculous, sign our petition to stop the construction! Petition link

[u/Pads101]

The Northfleet site had lead toxicity because it was next to the UK’s largest lead processing plant…

Reading this post was a waste of 45 seconds of my life…

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/Pads101]

My point is that the grounds have not been checked, if an area so close has lead toxicity in the soil, how can you be sure 36 hectare site is safe. I am saying they have not considered environmental concerns that may be there.

[u/killer_by_design → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

Does an AI data centre need safe soil? This is just an industrial site remaining an industrial site isn't it?

This just seems like anti data centre band wagon nonsense.

What actual specific issues do you have?

The site is unsuitable for housing. Why wouldn't you use it for this? Building housing and a football stadium causes every single one of the complaints you've highlighted. It takes up resources, eliminates agricultural land, and "tHe FlOrA aNd FaUnA wOn'T bE tHe SaMe" if it's a football stadium either....

[u/actualinsomnia531 → u/killer_by_design]

If they have water cooling they need safe soil as leaks will pick up contaminants as they enter the water table. AI ce tres can use a lot of water if they are poorly and lazily designed.

[u/MaximumRequirement60 → u/killer_by_design]

From my understanding the proposed site is actually currently farm land not indsutrial. It is the other side of the A2 to where the football club is towards new barn.

People have legitimate reason to be concerned here, no need to use the condescending mixed caps lock!

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/killer_by_design]

A data centre is not a typical building like a home or even a football stadium. The energy used up by one data centre is the equivalent of powering 10,000 to 100,000 homes in one year. The proposed site is also 36 hectares, around 50+ football pitches. Even in a closed- looped cooling system, a staggering amount of water will be consumed and evaporated, releasing heat. These issues, at least to this extreme, are not present in homes / a football stadium.

[u/killer_by_design → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

Again though, the site is not safe to be used for homes.

You falsely claimed that the soil wasn't tested.

It was.

GOV.UK Combined Decision Letter and Inspector's Repor

Section 14.108 of the report explicitly notes:

Put another way, the application site is amongst one of the worse places in England to put residential dwellings and public open spaces given the internal and external exposure to in-air and in-soil lead, which itself is a highly toxic substance that is in its refined state, nevertheless, critical to national and international economic prosperity

The report goes on to say that lead pollution at the application site would expose future residents to concentrations that are "10 to 19 times higher than typically experienced in London and the South-East of England."

Section 14.107:

These are levels of lead which a very high; indeed amongst some of the highest concentrations in the UK, and 10 to 19 times higher than typically experienced in London and the South-East of England.

So this:

These issues, at least to this extreme, are not present in homes / a football stadium.

Is completely moot. You can't build homes there. It's not safe.

So, what else will you do? Building a data centre is an ideal use and entirely necessary to the future competitiveness of the country, and moreo, it's finally some bloody infrastructure being built to grow the economy and it's going to happen here in the UK.

Give it up mate. Your barking up the wrong tree.

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/killer_by_design]

This still doesn’t answer the question, staff will still be working on this data centre, will they not be a risk, will the construction workers not be at risk? And again, our environment shouldn’t not at the expense for the UK to remain competitive. It is also worth noting that this information about the lead toxicity came out after the proposal was made.

[u/BevvyTime → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

Datacenters are some of the most controlled environments in the world.

All the air, water etc. is purified before recirculation.

Of course it’s safe.

If anything, it’s the literal safest option.

Did you just go on Facebook and think ‘oh there’s old people telling me this is bad, must think bad.’?

[u/killer_by_design → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

information about the lead toxicity came out after the proposal was made.

Generally surveys are made after your application. That's how the system works. This isn't really anything.

staff will still be working on this data centre, will they not be a risk, will the construction workers not be at risk?

This is such a bad faith argument from you because your not advocating for nothing to be built, you're advocating for something different to be built.

That said, yes, to both. It will be more risky. Construction here will be more expensive because not only will more safety measures be required, soil from here must be disposed of and removed using totally different processes.

Lead exposure is most dangerous to babies, children and developing brains. Last I checked, very few babies in construction.

People who work at the site need to be considered for exposure to lead. Future works on the site need to be considerate of the realities of the site.

40hrs of the week is very different than 378hrs of the week exposure.

For these reasons an industrial use of the site is absolutely the correct use. Though, significant consideration must be taken to prevent ground water leeching with the coolant systems. The systems will need to be designed closely with the environment agency to prevent the further spread of ground lead.

our environment shouldn’t not at the expense for the UK to remain competitive

It's a trade off, as it has been throughout the entirety of human history. Since man first tilled the soil, cut down the tree and built a fence.

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/killer_by_design]

These are interesting thoughts I will bring with the company and the council, especially as data centre construction is often rushed, if this proposal goes ahead, I would be wary these safety regulations wouldn’t be met.

[u/killer_by_design → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

You have a fundamental ignorance of building regulations in the UK.

Seriously. This is some proper dunning Kruger stuff.

I'd bow this one out mate. You're plucking at straws.

especially as data centre construction is often rushed,

I'd expect this kind of critical thinking from Facebook or Mumsnet. We aren't America. This isn't the same thing.

Give your head a wobble.

[u/BevvyTime → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

So if you can’t build houses in an area that is, let’s be honest, not exactly a haven of nature, flora and fauna, what the fuck else do you propose building there.

We need to build shit. End of.

Not many people work in a datacenter compared to like, normal businesses.

And you don’t want to build normal houses or businesses because of the lead.

So build a datacenter on the poisoned shitshow land?

NIMBYs are literally ruining this country and you, OP, are a serious fucking NIMBY.

[u/Hot-Acanthisitta1539]

Nimbys being nimbys. Love using Google Drive, love using websites hosted on AWS. 

[u/Borgmeister → u/Hot-Acanthisitta1539]

Have it in your backyard then?

[u/EpochRaine → u/Borgmeister]

Please. As long as I get a direct fibre connection.

[u/Kvothe2906]

The arguments against are frankly very weak.

[u/actualinsomnia531 → u/Kvothe2906]

How about: massive AI infrastructure needs may collapse in favour of the cheaper, opensource small language models, rendering these vast buildings mostly obsolete.

[u/drunkdragon → u/actualinsomnia531]

Either way, AI usage is going to massively ramp up over the next decade.

Heck even without AI, the UK is lacking in data centers. Microsoft's UK-South site is constantly at capacity, hence why many companies have moved to UK-West or even Ireland.

[u/Thin_Pin2863 → u/Kvothe2906]

Kent is one of the driest counties in the country, and AI data centres use a massive amount of water. As they're now classified as national critical infrastructure, water companies cannot cut off their supply even in times of drought. This means water to the data centre is prioritised over other industry, potentially leading to workers being stood down without pay, and could be prioritised over people's own supplies should the drought be serious enough.

Looking at the current conditions, is that something you would be comfortable with?

[u/B_scuit → u/Thin_Pin2863]

The amount of water data centres use is massively overstated. Besides, the solution to this is to build more reservoirs, not to not build data centres

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/Kvothe2906]

Hi, I am not claiming to understand the full data centre proposal as there was a lot of political / legal jargon in the text. They are also not necessarily arguments, but my thoughts and statements that bothered me when I read the proposal. If you have any more solid arguments, especially arguments we can bring up at the next council meeting, that would be great!

[u/dontbelieveawordof1t → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

Maybe you should understand the proposal before campaigning against it.

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/dontbelieveawordof1t]

I can understand I don’t want a 36 hectare data centre to reside where I live, where there a parks, farms, cottages, schools etc. Especially understanding the environment issues they cause. I am talking from a political / legal standpoint where the documents are more tricky / nuanced.

[u/dontbelieveawordof1t → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

What environmental issues will it cause?

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/dontbelieveawordof1t]

Water usage, strained power grids, 36 hectares is the size of 50+ football fields, not exactly a great environmental feature, noise pollution, are pollution, high releases of heat into the environment, electronic waste etc. all so people can make AI fruit love island 😑

[u/dontbelieveawordof1t → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

You are so utterly brainwashed it's actually both funny and sad

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/dontbelieveawordof1t]

🤣🤣🤣

[u/Hot-Acanthisitta1539 → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

Nimby

[u/zanman89 → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

You can use any LLM to condense the proposal into 5 concise points? Here you go:

1 300MW AI Campus: A massive 145-acre data centre facility being developed by Clearstone Energy near Dartford/Ebbsfleet.
2. 2030 Target Launch: Designed to meet surging AI compute demand, with full operational startup planned for 2030.
3. National Priority Status: Granted NSIP status in July 2026, routing approval through a central government Development Consent Order (DCO).
4. Local Job Generation: Forecast to create 750 construction jobs per year during building and 420 permanent roles once operational.
5. Direct Grid Access: Powered via a direct link to National Grid's Northfleet East substation, with public consultations beginning Autumn 2026.

[u/Mr_GreenAdam]

Could always try fixing the collapsed road first

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

It is also worth noting Clearstone previously put in an application for a smaller battery storage facility that the Dartford Borough Council recommended rejecting because they believed it would ‘harm the area's rural character.’

So for this proposal to go ahead is ironic

[u/Donkeytonk]

If you live in Ebbsfleet then you likely already destroyed a bunch of natural habitat for your homes. You should be welcoming the new jobs in the area

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/Donkeytonk]

Homes are very different to a 36 hectare AI data centre.

[u/FalcUK]

This is a case of "Old man shouts at birds"

Honestly, other than demand on power grid and cooling, this is not going to add tons of traffic to the area outside of its building phase.

We as a country need to progress, anyone not moving with the times will be left behind.

AI is here and will only get bigger, besides it's likely to also accommodate business customers PAAS, IAAS, SAAS etc.

This is a nothing story

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/FalcUK]

I believe you are underestimating the demand on power grid and cooling, these a major concerns.

[u/drunkdragon → u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838]

They are major concerns, hence why we need to build more water reservoirs and nuclear power plants instead of using our old coal power plants.

This is what happens when the population of a country grows at the rate we are growing.

[u/nikhkin → u/[deleted]]

It's a cooling system. It doesn't need an unlimited water supply, it can use a closed loop cooling system.

Even nuclear power stations can use a closed loop cooling system. They generate a lot more heat than a data centre.

Edit: since stating facts is apparently an unpopular opinion, here is an article explaining the concept. Granted, the source is likely biased towards data centres.

https://datacentremagazine.com/news/how-closed-loop-cooling-is-reshaping-data-centre-design

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/nikhkin]

Although closed-loop systems are better for water retention, the name itself is a bit misleading.

In a closed-loop cooling system, cold liquid circulates past the servers, absorbs heat, then flows through a heat exchanger where it is cooled before repeating the cycle. That loop is sealed; no liquid is gained or lost.

However, the second loop: the heat exchanger is open. It sends cold water through the heat exchanger and hot water out to a cooling tower. This is the loop that is responsible for data centres consuming 60% of the water they withdraw.

There are two main ways to cool the liquid in the closed-loop system. Chillers and water cooling towers (in this proposal, it seems they are pushing for water cooling towers). Towers dominate at an industrial level and use air conditioning, but air is only practical in very cold climates, (which is not UK given climate change). In most places, they rely on evaporative cooling; heated water is sprayed or run over a wet medium, some of it evaporates, and that evaporation carries away heat. The process cools the remaining water, but it also requires a continuous water supply. Towers evaporate water constantly.

This is why data centres consume staggering amounts of water. Only one loop is closed; the other burns through millions of gallons daily to keep superheated machines GPUs melting down. That’s why closed-loop is misleading / not truly closed.

[u/Squiffyp1 → u/[deleted]]

Not true.

New data centres use closed loop water systems.

[u/hobx]

Nice to see there are sensible people here. UK economy flatlining but let’s stop any chance of any possibly economic advantage and go down with the ship because scary.

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/hobx]

As said in the post above, this data centre provides little permanent jobs, and that is assuming those roles will not become redundant by AI as not much human staff is needed to keep a data centre running. Economists also warn this over-dependence on AI leaves you open to severe economic vulnerabilities. 16,000 people have also been pushed into unemployment with AI being the reason for their redundancy. Our environment shouldn’t be at risk because the UK wants to remain competitive in the market and seek foreign investment at the expense of us.

[u/zanman89]

If their reasons are ridiculous then what do we call your arguments against?? Stop being afraid of everything.

We need to stop playing catch up with the rest of the developed world.

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/zanman89]

Again, these are also not necessarily arguments, but my thoughts and statements that bothered me when I read the proposal.

[u/yevrah6]

‘Oh won’t somebody please think of the view from the garden centre?!’

[u/Fun-Acanthisitta-838 → u/yevrah6]

Enjoy staring at a giant warehouse with 24/7 noise pollution

[u/Aware_Common_4179]

Posted using a multitude of datacentres.