Havering Residents To Take to the Streets in “Stop Dirty Data Centres” protest

5th November 20265th November 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Data Centre, Havering, North Ockendon, Protest min read

Local Havering residents say ‘Stop Dirty Data Centres’

Local residents from Havering are protesting on Saturday 7 November 2026, as part of pan-European days of action to call for a moratorium on large scale data centres.

Large-scale data centres consume huge amounts of energy and water and risk putting growing pressure on resources and public infrastructure, something which is made worse by a changing climate.

From Finland, to Croatia, Edinburgh to Madrid, community groups and civil society are taking to the streets on 6 and 7 November to call for a moratorium on new large scale data centres.

Residents in Havering, are campaigning against a 600MW data centre campus in North Ockendon, on the eastern edge of the Borough on 200 hectares of Green Belt farmland, and are joining forces with digital rights, environmental and community groups across the continent, with around 101 groups in 15 countries planning mass demonstrations, local actions, public events, book launches and even cycle rides. They will be joining communities across Europe to raise concerns about the speed and scale of data centre expansion when they feel their voices are not being heard by political leaders, both locally and nationally.

Campaigners have raised particular concerns about the potential carbon emissions associated with the proposed East Havering Data Centre Campus. They cite an estimate of 1.2 million tonnes of CO₂ annually and argue that emissions on this scale would be incompatible with climate targets. The Havering Daily has not independently verified the basis of that estimate. Campaigners also warn about the potential loss of Green Belt farmland, wildlife habitats and natural ecosystems, and are calling on Havering Council to reject the proposed development.

Governments, Councils, the EU and Big Tech are often in favour of racing ahead with data-centre development, despite significant public concern about the impacts on communities, natural resources and other industries, the cost of living, the challenges of powering the industry with renewable energy, and the far-reaching social impacts of AI

Campaigners complain data centre developments are being planned with limited transparency or scrutiny, while communities across Europe feel they are shut out of decisions that will shape their local environments and futures.

The range and creativity of actions being planned reflect the many and varied reasons people oppose the rapid and unchecked expansion of hyperscale data centres.

A group spokesperson said:

“We are taking action in Havering to protect not just our own area, but to also support and show solidarity to other groups globally. We are worried about the speed and scale of data centre expansion without adequate guardrails and protections. We are calling for a moratorium on new large scale data centres, so we can have a proper democratic debate to ensure a framework is put in place to protect local communities and the environment. Data centre expansion should not cost us our climate targets. With these international goals in mind, we are also asking Havering Council to reject the live Local Development Order planning application that was published for consultation in the Spring of 2026. We are proud to stand together with communities across Europe so political leaders can no longer ignore us and to ensure stopping data centres in one place doesn’t mean they get imposed onto already marginalised communities.”

Owen Espley, Coordinator of StopDirtyDataCentres.eu, said:

“Communities across Europe have been challenging the imposition of energy, water and land hungry data centres where they live. By coming together, campaigns facing a David v Goliath struggle against big tech – too often backed by political decision-makers – are showing that they have the power to push back against the rush to build more and bigger data centres. They are calling for political leaders to implement moratoria on large-scale data centres at European, national and local levels so their concerns can be addressed and the impacts of data centres properly scrutinised.”

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