CREDIT: Terry Joyce
Stop a Local Wildlife Site from becoming a data centre
Tell Thurrock Council: Remove Arena Essex as a data centre allocation in the Thurrock Local Plan.
You have until Wednesday 14 October to respond.
Arena Essex Raceway Local Wildlife Site is at risk of becoming a hyperscale Google data centre, as outlined in the Thurrock Local Plan.
We are standing up for the wildlife that lives there.
The Local Wildlife Site is home to at least 687 species of invertebrate and 439 species of plants. It’s home to key priority habitats, including Thames Terrace Grassland, one of the rarest habitats in the UK. The proposed plans would destroy over 50% of the Local Wildlife Site and over 80% of the priority habitat.
We urge you to object to the addition of this site in the Local Plan. Please ask Thurrock Council to remove the data allocation for Arena Essex and instead, adopt a long-term vision for the site that would benefit the community and the wildlife that calls it home.
Please speak up for nature by responding to the Local Plan consultation.
To make responding easier, we’ve taken the key questions from the required ‘representation form’. We've drafted some of the technical detail to key points to set out the main reasons for your objection. There’s space for you to add your own words too. We encourage you to add one or two sentences explaining your connection to the issue – for example, if you have used the site historically as a local green space, whether you live locally, or to share your concern about wildlife.
In line with the Regulation 19 requirements, the Trust is arguing that the Local Plan is not sound, positively prepared, justified, effective or consistent with National Policy. For more detail, see the notes below.
This campaign is supported by Buglife, Essex Field Club and the Thurrock Hammers Speedway Club.
What would be the wider environmental impact of the proposed data centre? >
The Local Wildlife Site contains a mosaic of habitats including Thames Terrace Grassland, one of the rarest habitats in the UK with only 50 known sites remaining. The site is home to over 687 species of invertebrate and 439 plant species, including the rarest and most threatened bumblebee in the country, the Shrill Carder Bee, it provides the best home in the country for the endangered Broad-leaved Cudweed, and Red-listed Nightingales are found there.
On top of this destruction, the data centre would produce an estimated 570,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, equivalent to 22.8 million UK homes’ total energy use for a year. It would use a significant amount of water in an already water-stressed county, and would likely cause a temperature rise around the building that would directly implicate any surrounding species.
About the Regulation 19 and what it means >
What is the Regulation 19?
Regulation 19 marks the formal submission stage of a local plan, where the plan is published for representations and prepared for independent examination. The purpose of this stage is to say whether the plan is legally compliant or whether it meets the tests of “soundness” as defined in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Responses to Regulation 19 must look at the following four areas:
- Positively prepared: Does it meet the area’s objectively assessed needs for housing and other development?
- Justified: Is it based on proportionate evidence and is it the most appropriate strategy?
- Effective: Is it deliverable? Does it have a credible infrastructure and delivery plan?
- Consistent with National Policy: Does it comply with the National Planning Policy Framework?
What is a representation form?
Regulation 19 requires formal representations to be submitted that should relate to the legal compliance and/or soundness of the Thurrock Local Plan and should be directed towards a specific policy, site allocation, proposal or paragraph within the Publication Version of the Plan.
Will my details be made public when I respond? >
Your email will be sent directly to the consultation team as an individual response. As part of Thurrock Council’s consultation process, all representations will be made public. Your representations and name will be published but other personal information will remain confidential.