Thousands sign petition against proposed data centre

Thousands of people have signed a petition opposing plans to build a data centre at a business park.

This summer an early-stage plan emerged to build a data centre at Thames Valley Park in Earley, on the outskirts of Reading, which would replace three office buildings occupied by Microsoft.

The plan was exhibited at a public consultation in July, with some people expressing concerns about the resource demands and environmental impacts it could have.

A spokesperson for the project team previously said it would "support the digital services that people, businesses and public services rely on every day".

So far the petition, started by Jenna Graby, has received more than 4,000 signatures.

She raised concerns about data security and how the facility would be cooled, particularly if water was used.

Graby said: "Water, energy and transport are essential. Data centres, however, are not essential to our lives as humans.

"In fact, given the detrimental impact to the environmental infrastructure and ecology, they are actively harmful to humans."

She also argued there was no need for the facility, as data centres had been established in Swindon, Slough and Didcot.

A project team spokesperson previously said: "We recognise that concerns have been raised about the emerging proposals and remain committed to engaging openly with the local community as the project develops."

They added that the proposed data centre would use "predominantly air-based cooling, with water circulating in a closed-loop system".

"This means that, once operational, the development would require minimal new water compared with facilities that rely on evaporative cooling."

The team aims to submit a planning application to Wokingham Borough Council this autumn.