Havering’s Greenbelt Under Threat – Are We Swapping Wildlife for Windowless Grey Boxes?

Data Centres are going up all over the country. There are around 456 across the UK already — and the number is set to soar as our hunger for digital storage grows. Yes, we all use our phones, store our photos, and rely on data every single day. But as these vast buildings rise, the question is — what are we losing?

You might think they’d be built on old, unused industrial land. Sadly, that’s not the case. It is believed that many are being planted right on top of greenbelt land — home to wildlife that cannot simply be “relocated” or replaced. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

Here in Havering, there’s a real possibility of a data centre landing in North Ockendon — greenbelt land currently rich with wildlife. All across London buildings are going up destroying wildlife havens. A fox was spotted sprinting across the cricket pitch at Lord’s. Instead of sympathy, it was met with boos and jeers. Can you imagine the terror that poor animal felt? That fox is just one of many creatures losing their homes, and the saddest truth is — too few people care.

Sir David Attenborough has said many times that humans can live in harmony with wildlife. But the reality is very different. We are carving up what was once a green and pleasant land, turning it into a concrete jungle. High-rises overlooking high-rises, with the odd postage-stamp-sized patch of green thrown in to “tick the box.” A couple of token saplings here and there are meant to replace ancient trees that took centuries to grow.

Cutting down an old tree isn’t something you can fix by planting another. Trees aren’t just decoration — they’re lifelines. They clean our air, shelter birds, house insects, and cool our towns. Remove them and we lose far more than shade.

We’ve fallen into a culture of fake grass, fake plants, and vanishing wildlife. Digital infrastructure might be important, but so is nature. We should be asking ourselves: are we willing to trade our last wild spaces for another windowless grey box filled with servers? Because once our greenbelt and its creatures are gone, they are gone for good.

Most people understand that data centres need to be built, but the key is to build on land that is not greenbelt and that does not destroy endless wildlife.

Our wildlife is going fast and its destruction is being encouraged most days by everything around us from fake grass, flats and data centres. There needs to be a much needed look at how to co exist with each other and not one actively wiping out the other. Badgers, foxes, birds, all have the right to live, please remember that.

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