In Potters Bar, a town just outside London, local residents are fiercely opposing plans to build one of Europe’s largest data centres on 85 acres of protected “green belt” farmland — a project driven by the expanding infrastructure needs of the global AI industry. The farmland, long valued by locals for its natural scenery and recreational space, became the focus of protest after authorities granted planning permission in 2025 and multinational operator Equinix acquired the site with intentions to begin construction this year.
Residents formed a Facebook protest group that quickly gained over 1,000 supporters, arguing that the development would disrupt community life, harm the environment and eliminate valued green space. Despite widespread objections — including formal complaints to planning bodies and environmental watchdogs — local officials maintained that economic benefits and government backing for AI infrastructure outweighed local concerns.
The controversy reflects broader national policy changes: the UK government introduced a new “grey belt” land category and designated data centres as critical national infrastructure, making it easier to approve such projects to support the surging demand for AI computing power. Advocates claim the new data centre will bring jobs, tax revenue and regional economic growth, though critics see their community’s interests sidelined in the face of technological expansion.
For many in Potters Bar, the fight has become symbolic of the tension between technological progress and preserving local heritage. While AI and data centre investments are seen by planners as vital to national competitiveness in an era of massive global AI infrastructure build-outs, residents continue to push for greater consideration of environmental and social impacts before proceeding with large-scale developments.
