What are datacentres doing to the places we love? In Slough, I found a bleak answer | John Harris
Whitehall wants to triple the UK’s number of datacentres – but demand for electricity and water means that could be at the expense of new homes Amid headlines about the UK’s drought , Europe’s wildfires and impossible global temperatures, it was 28C when I arrived in Slough last Monday. I was there to look around Slough Trading Estate, a place that might once have conjured up images of the TV…
Last Monday, I ventured into Slough to investigate the prevalence of datacentres in this once quintessential British suburb. As I arrived, the temperature sat at a sweltering 28 degrees Celsius, a stark reminder of the extreme weather events plaguing the UK and the globe. The Slough Trading Estate, a once idyllic stretch of land 20 miles west of London, now serves as a vivid illustration of the rapid expansion of datacentres and the resources they consume.
Amidst the headlines concerning the UK’s drought, Europe’s wildfires, and the unrelenting heatwaves, Slough's datacentre boom has become a cause for concern. Whitehall's ambition to triple the number of UK datacentres may be achieved at the expense of new housing developments, potentially exacerbating the nation's housing crisis. The hulking structures, reminiscent of science fiction dystopias, loom over the once quaint suburb, casting a shadow over the future of Slough's communities.
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