Google acquired the site through a subsidiary in 2023. In May last year, it applied for permission to build a data center campus there. When locals caught wind, they coordinated with national wildlife and environmental groups and began to kick up a fuss. Of the 1,000 responses submitted by members of the public to the planning authority, only one supported the project. (Thurrock Council says that many of the responses were submitted by people living outside the local area.)
The protest group argues that Google’s proposal fails to properly account for the negative effects of the data center development: the loss of the raceway sporting facility, the destruction of habitat for rare flora and fauna, and the up to 570,000 tonnes of emissions it could produce each year—which Foxglove claims cannot be accommodated under the UK government’s carbon budget.
“We’re an outlier. We object on different grounds. I think that’s why I think we’re quite useful to the whole campaign,” says Mark Sexton, director at the Thurrock Hammers motorcycle club. “The unlikely alliance has got some attention.”
Google says the objections are grounded in misconceptions about its plans. The company claims it will achieve a net gain in biodiversity by retaining habitat and transplanting endangered plants to another location; and that it will offset the emissions by financing new sources of renewable energy generation, with a view to becoming carbon-neutral by 2030. Google argues that razing the motorcycle stadium will not result in the loss of an invaluable community facility because the track has already been out of use for a number of years. “We want to be good neighbors,” says Elman. “We recognize the ecological value of these sites. Our goal is to minimize the impact as much as possible.”
Unconvinced by Google’s reassurances, the protesters intend to continue to fight the development—one small act of protest at a time. “Do I think we’ve got much hope? Not right now,” says Rob Pownall, founder of nonprofit Protect The Wild, who attended Wednesday’s demonstration. “But this is another chip off that massive ice block.”
There are some signs the grassroots anti-data center movement is starting to win concessions. In the US, some states have instituted permitting freezes and data center moratoria, and pro-data center candidates were roundly crushed in this week’s midterm elections. In the UK, Foxglove recently succeeded in a legal challenge that forced the government to withdraw planning permission for a data center to the west of London.
Thurrock Council tells WIRED it expects to rule on Google’s initial planning application early next year. After that, the company will need to come up with a more granular plan for developing the site, which will be subject to another lengthy vetting process. The protesters say they intend to make life hard for Google at every step.
“These planning campaigns can go on for years,” says Robins. “It’s a war of attrition.”