The developer has claimed the facility will help the economy grow
The Sherwood Business Park office building in this picture, which has now been demolished, could be replaced by a data centre(Image: Google)
Nottinghamshire villagers have opposed plans for a high-tech AI data centre over fears it will create a “constant drone” that will be audible in their homes.
Technology infrastructure company Port@l Limited has applied to Ashfield District Council to construct a data centre at Sherwood Business Park, but some residents living in the neighbouring village of Annesley have strongly objected to the idea.
Deborah Rycroft, who lives close to the former E.ON office site where the facility is planned, argued the 24/7 operation would “emit a lot of noise” and be detrimental to wildlife in the woods between the business park and homes, as well as walkers using this area as a “peaceful escape”.
She added that nearby residents did not want the “constant drone of industry whilst in their homes and gardens”.
Fellow Annesley resident Jane Brooks told the council: “This is going to have a significant [impact] on wildlife we have only just built across those fields removing their homes. Plus the noise will be too much for us.”
Other consulted locals have also objected over noise, traffic and environmental concerns.
Planning consultants for Port@l Limited said that while operation of the centre could potentially lead to a low to adverse noise impact during the daytime and significant adverse impact during night-time, measures could be put in place to limit noise.
The applicant argued that its data centre would help meet the increasing demand for secure and energy-efficient digital infrastructure that supports vital services like cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
“The Government has stated that this growth in data centre capacity is critical if the country is to keep pace with its international competitors and for the economy to grow,” Port@l’s planners told the council.
“The national strategy on data centres is clear and unambiguous, these facilities will play a critical role in the country’s growth in the future and should be supported through the planning system.”
The developer said Sherwood Business Park was a suitable location for its new project as it had good grid connectivity for the power-intensive data building and was “removed from any environmental constraints”.
Planning documents for the applicant explained that the data centre would only be operated by a small on-site team of around 12 staff members, with limited vehicle movements as a result.
Prior to the summer of 2025 there was a vacant office building on the application site that had previously been occupied by energy company E.ON.
This was demolished and cleared, paving the way for the now-submitted data centre plan for the plot of land.
The planning application for the new data centre will be considered by Ashfield District Council and decided at a later date.