Bikers and Bug Advocates Team Up Against Google Data Center Near London
A small protest took place outside Google's UK headquarters in London against a planned data center in Thurrock, 15 miles east of the capital. Wildlife groups and a motorcycle club have joined forces to oppose the project.
On Wednesday, a small protest was held outside Google's UK headquarters in Kings Cross, London, against the company's plan to build a large data center in Thurrock, about 15 miles east of the capital. Jamie Robins of the wildlife conservation trust Buglife delivered a letter with a petition signed by almost 55,000 people, urging Google to drop the project.
An unlikely coalition is opposing the development. Buglife and local wildlife groups fear for an endangered plant, a rare bumblebee and other invertebrates whose habitat they say would be destroyed. The nonprofit Foxglove argues the facility would produce too much pollution. The Thurrock Hammers motorcycle club wants to resume racing on the site.
Google's response
Google says the plans prioritize biodiversity and lower emissions. It claims it will achieve a net gain in biodiversity by retaining habitat and moving endangered plants elsewhere. It intends to offset emissions by financing new renewable energy generation, aiming to be carbon-neutral by 2030. The company also notes that the motorcycle track has been out of use for several years.
Foxglove contends the proposal does not properly account for the impact, including up to 570,000 tonnes of emissions a year, which it says cannot fit within the UK government's carbon budget.
Wider context
Google bought the site through a subsidiary in 2023 and applied last May to build a data center campus. Of 1,000 public responses sent to the planning authority, only one backed the project; Thurrock Council says many came from people living outside the local area.
Similar protests took place elsewhere in Europe last week, including in Amsterdam. Thurrock Council expects to rule on the initial application early next year, followed by another detailed review. The protesters say they will keep opposing the project at every stage.
