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Global community opposition to data centre expansion grows

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-11 03:18 UTC → 2026-08-22 12:03 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Community opposition to new data centre projects persists across the UK, Italy, Australia, and South Africa. In July 2026, the proposed facility in Katoomba, NSW, was withdrawn following a campaign that gathered nearly 1,000 signatures. Meanwhile, villagers in Southfleet, Kent, continue to object to the £3 billion Ebbsfleet AI Data Centre, citing noise and pressure on local utilities. In Australia, tensions have escalated due to the AI-driven boom. In Melbourne, the opening of an Equinix facility and proposals to expand the NextDC M3 site have drawn protests over electricity demand and environmental impacts. In Cape Town, a proposed 160 MW Equinix project faces formal objections regarding water scarcity and air pollution. In Europe, expansion is meeting significant resistance. In Italy, the number of active or planned data centres has nearly doubled in one year, rising from 146 to 262, with an estimated €25 billion in projected investment. Protests have intensified in Lombardy; in Rho, the Rhodense Committee of the Data Center Observatory criticized the approval of a new facility on via Moscova as an “extremely serious act,” while in Pozzaglio, a petition against a project near a school has gathered nearly 800 signatures, with critics calling the development a form of “colonization.” In Brescia, a proposed €11 million project by East Gate Srl has faced demonstrations over heat emissions, water usage, and noise. National concerns are rising as projections suggest data centre electricity consumption in Italy could reach between 7% and 12% of the national total by 2035. In the UK, opposition remains high in Norfolk and London, while in the Netherlands, an Equinix mega-centre in Amsterdam has been approved despite high power demand.

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