Frequently asked questions

No. Data centres support our health records, banking and public services, and some will be built in England and Wales. We are against decisions of this size being made quickly, privately and on the strength of the developer’s own figures.

The opposite, in one sense: we argue that the people affected by a data centre’s demand on water and power are often not its neighbours at all. We are asking for evidence and fair process, wherever the site is.

Probably, in some form. That is exactly why the terms matter: where they go, how they are cooled and powered, who pays for upgrades, and what the public gets back.

An industry survey says about half of responding sites in England use waterless cooling. But that survey was voluntary and anonymous, and “waterless” cooling uses more electricity, which itself takes water to generate. See the Water page.

Because the choices with the biggest long-term effects — site, cooling, chemicals, power — are usually made before a planning application is published. See the timeline on the home page.

Dennis Clarke, writing in a personal capacity: see About. The site has no funding; its small running costs are paid by Dennis personally, and it takes no money from developers, operators or anyone else with an interest. See Governance and funding.

Yes, please. Copy, adapt and send them. We would be glad to hear what answers you get, so that the tracker can be updated.

No. It is general information to help people take part in the planning process. For a specific case, take professional advice; for free planning help, see Start here.

Because we want you to be able to tell the difference between what a source says and what we have reasoned from it. Both are useful; they are not the same thing.