Protesters in East London Call Against Plans For Data Center
On Thursday, 4 June, residents in East London protested against a planned data center in Brick Lane. The protest took place outside the SXSW Festival, a week-long event focused on technology, music, and culture. The planned data center and office development is part of a 500 million redevelopment scheme replacing the Truman Brewery, according to Socialist Worker.
Plans for the data center
The brewery currently consists of pop-up shops, restaurants, and bars. Truman Estates owner Zeloof LLC plans to demolish several buildings around Brick Lane to make way for the data center at 47 Grey Eagle Street. The data center would be 5,266 sqm (56,682 sq ft) and approximately 29 meters (95 feet) tall.
“The vision for the site in the heart of Brick Lane is to deliver a data center which has broad market appeal and adaptability to demand, which is designed and benchmarked against industry best practices and trends,” Planning consultants DP9, working on behalf of Truman Estates, said in the original application letter, submitted in August 2024.
Backlash against the data center
Campaigner Jonathan Moberly told Tower Hamlets Silce that said “data centers are not wanted at all’ in Spitalfields and Banglatown. ” “A data center, office blocks, are completely inappropriate in a borough with the biggest housing crisis in Britain.”
There is also an environmental impact from data centers, as they often consume large amounts of water and energy. Last year, the BBC reported that the number of data centers in the UK is set to increase by almost a fifth. Over half of these new data centers would be located in London and neighboring counties.
In the US, the NAACP recently filed a request for a preliminary injunction to stop air pollution from Elon Musk’s company, xAI, and its parent company, MZX Tech.
The NAACP informed xAI and MZX Tech that their personal power plant, comprising 27 gas-fired turbines, violates the Clean Air Act and poses a risk to local communities’ health. The claims were ignored, and xAI brought 6 additional gas turbines on site, bringing the total to 33.
Image: İsmail Enes Ayhan
