Developer says £1.2bn data centre will boost city

A developer has defended plans for a £1.2bn data centre on the edge of a city, insisting it will benefit the area despite thousands of objections.

Matt Bartram, chief executive of Norwich Apex Ltd, said the scheme opposite Tesco Harford Bridge on the A140 could help turn Norwich into a "tech hub" amid a booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI).

His team wants to create one of the UK's "greenest data centres" despite campaigners claiming it would have "terrible consequences" for neighbouring wildlife sites.

If approved, construction could begin at the end of 2027, with the data centre expected to be operational by 2028.

Bartram added: "I doubt Norfolk will see many opportunities like this again.

"Norwich will become a tech hub.

"This is something that will be a positive thing for Norwich. We will develop this in a responsible manner.

"Data centres are becoming increasingly important to our everyday lives, supporting everything from healthcare and financial services to the development of artificial intelligence."

Plans have been lodged with South Norfolk Council for the project in Keswick and a decision on the scheme is expected to be made early next year.

Campaigners are worried about its close proximity to Marston Marsh, a 64-acre protected site at the edge of the city.

Broadcaster Jake Humphrey, who lives near the site, is among its most vocal opponents.

But Bartram said its ecological assessments predicted that the data centre "is not expected to have any discernible impact" on the surrounding nature reserves.

He added the site would use a closed-loop water cooling system which meant that once filled, no more water would be needed.

Mitigation measures would be implemented to prevent noise generated by the 72 cooling units on its roof increasing current background noise from the nearby roads, he said.

Bartram added: "We recognise that a development of this scale raises legitimate questions about its environmental impact and what it means for neighbouring communities.

"Our ambition is to deliver a development that benefits the region economically while setting high standards for environmental responsibility."

The Norwich Apex data centre would need 150MW of power to run it and hoped to utilise wind energy by connecting to the Hornsea 3 substation nearby.

While significant, the scale of the site pales in comparison to another planned in Norfolk.

The Longmarsh Green Energy project planned for farmland near King's Lynn would need 1.3GW to power it - and developers want to create one of the biggest solar farms in the country to supply energy for it.

It has also been met with fierce opposition.

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