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Toolkit for local groups
Fifteen questions every major data-centre proposal should answer. Use them to test a planning application, or to prepare for a meeting with a developer or council.
How to use it
Download the checklist
The Word version has space to note where in the application each answer is found, or that it is missing.
Work through the planning file
For each question, record whether the application answers it fully, partly or not at all.
Turn gaps into questions
Every “no” is a question to put in writing to the planning officer. The issue pages have questions drafted in full.
To check whether the environmental assessment itself is adequate, see Has the environment been properly assessed?
The fifteen questions
| # | Question | Answered? | Where found / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What demonstrable need does the facility serve? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 2 | Why is this site preferable to reasonable alternatives? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 3 | What are the implications for local and national energy infrastructure? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 4 | What are the annual and peak-period water requirements? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 5 | Has the chosen cooling system been fully justified? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 6 | Have lifecycle emissions been assessed? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 7 | Have all significant environmental and amenity impacts been evaluated? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 8 | How will the facility perform under future climate conditions? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 9 | Where are primary and backup copies of information likely to reside? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 10 | How are single points of failure mitigated? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 11 | What lasting benefits accrue to host communities? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 12 | Does the proposal demonstrate transparency, accountability and long-term stewardship? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 13 | What is the realistic long-term employment case for the proposal, once the effects of automation and AI-driven efficiency have been taken into account? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 14 | How much waste heat will the facility produce, and how will it be used, or why can it not be? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No | |
| 15 | Can treated water discharges or harvested rainwater be reused safely, for example for irrigation? | ☐ Yes ☐ Partly ☐ No |
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