A proposed tech campus in Blackpool, England, is being touted as a multibillion-pound economic boost for the region.
As The Blackpool Gazette reported, though, a growing petition warns the data center-led development could come with serious environmental and community drawbacks.
What's happening?
Silicon Sands is Blackpool Council's proposal for a business park built around data center infrastructure, the paper noted. Officials say it could eventually deliver up to £14 billion ($18.9 billion) to the Fylde coast while bringing in digital firms and better-paid work.
Opposition is being led by Elizabeth Brownsword, who works in education and grew up on the Fylde coast.
Her petition to stop the development had gathered over 400 signatures by early August and argued that the project could create "significant levels of light, noise and waste pollution," while also worsening traffic and negatively affecting nearby residents.
Blackpool Council appears ready to award the contract to HOCHTIEF Data Centre Partner UK Ltd., which the paper said came through a procurement exercise carried out under the Procurement Act 2023. Plans call for a new data center first, followed by a broader business park intended to attract tech investment.
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"We are starting to hear about data centers a lot now, and there are quite a lot of issues coming to light which are causing genuine concerns," Brownsword said.
Why is this situation concerning?
Data centers store, process, and move the digital information behind everyday activities, including streaming video, cloud storage, and business software. As artificial intelligence expands, those facilities are becoming even more essential — and even more resource-intensive.
On one hand, AI can improve energy forecasting, make construction more efficient, and support cleaner energy systems by helping utilities better manage wind, solar, and electricity demand.
On the other hand, the computers used to train and run AI models can require enormous amounts of electricity and water for cooling. That can put pressure on local infrastructure, raise energy costs, and increase pollution. There are also concerns about misuse, cybersecurity, and unintended social effects.
The Gazette noted Brownsword's petition also pointed to fears about dust during construction and decommissioning, congestion on Clifton Drive and Queensway, and uncertainty over whether the promised jobs would actually go to local people.
What's being done?
Blackpool Council is pushing back on comparisons between Silicon Sands and some controversial U.S. data center projects.
Council officials said the development will not use seawater for cooling, despite concerns raised in the petition. Instead, they say it would draw on the public water system, which The Gazette reported is supplied by natural sources, before recycling it through a closed-loop system.
Councilor Jane Hugo, Blackpool Council's cabinet member for climate change, also asserted to the paper that the council wants the project to run on renewables and send excess heat into nearby buildings, which she said could help lower bills and provide community benefits.
"It is very important that people don't confuse our plans for Silicon Sands with data centers in the USA that drain energy and water," Hugo told The Gazette.
Brownsword's petition argued that distinction is meaningless.
"We stand at a critical juncture where protecting our environment and community well-being should be prioritised over large-scale industrial developments," she wrote.
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