Private prototype. Facts from research on 2 to 3 October 2026; not yet reviewed for publication. Forms do not submit.

All schemes

Decision pendingLondon, England

East Havering Data Centre Campus (draft Local Development Order LDO0001.26), North Ockendon

A draft Local Development Order for the campus went to public consultation from 6 March to 12 April 2026 and, on the evidence I could find, has not yet been adopted: Havering's own pages still say the Strategic Planning Committee will take a final decision on whether to adopt it, and a report of 21 August 2026 describes the final decision as pending. A pre-action letter threatening judicial review was sent on 23 March 2026, but I found no claim filed. The 'status' value is the closest in the vocabulary for a draft LDO awaiting adoption. [S1] [S2] [S3] [S5] [S9]

Key facts

Status
Decision pending (application submitted) [S1] [S2] [S3] [S5] [S9]
Decided by
London Borough of Havering, as local planning authority (Strategic Planning Committee decides whether to adopt the LDO) [S2] [S3]
Applicant
Digital Reef (promoter); the draft LDO is made by Havering Local Planning Authority itself [S1] [S4]
Developer or backer
Digital Reef describes itself as a British sustainable infrastructure developer founded 2020 (developer website)
References
LDO0001.26
Location
Green Belt land at North Ockendon, in the east of the London Borough of Havering on the boundary with Thurrock, east of the M25 and near the Warley substation. Includes a data centre campus, indoor horticultural facility, district heating network, 113 ha Ecology Park and visitor centre. [S1]
Total power
600MW [S1] [S4] [S11]
Buildings
Multiple data centre buildings (number not found), plus indoor horticulture facility, district heating network, visitor centre; developer text speaks of 'up to' 400,000 sqm of data centre space [S1] [S4] [S11]
Investment (claimed)
GBP14.7bn design and construction (developer website); GBP5.3bn (council Cabinet endorsement, November 2022) [S1] [S4] [S11]
On-site generation
Developer says 'net zero operational design, with no on-site fossil fuel use'; heated horticulture and district heating planned [S4] [S11] [S12]
Cooling and water
Not found in sources opened. Residents claim water use could equal tens of thousands of homes (campaigner claim) [S4] [S11] [S12]
Designations
Metropolitan Green Belt; High-pressure gas transmission pipeline crossing the area (campaigners' safety claim) [S5] [S6] [S8] [S13] [S19]
Previous use
Farmland (agricultural) [S5] [S6] [S8] [S13] [S19]
Environmental assessment
Environmental documents were published for the LDO consultation (council consultation page); an independent environmental report by Ramboll was commissioned in 2024 (Leader's statement). Contents not read [S5] [S6] [S8] [S13] [S19]

Timeline

  1. 2022-11
    Havering Cabinet endorsed the proposal as a GBP5.3bn investment opportunity (month from council news headline) [S1]
  2. 29 July 2024
    Council meeting on the proposal; Leader's statement of 31 July 2024 said an LDO was under consideration and an independent environmental report was being commissioned [S8]
  3. 24 February 2026
    Council announced it would ask the Strategic Planning Committee to approve consultation on the draft LDO [S3]
  4. 3 March 2026
    Strategic Planning Committee approved the draft LDO for consultation [S1] [S2]
  5. 6 March 2026
    Formal consultation on the draft LDO opened (originally to 7 April 2026) [S3] [S6]
  6. 17 March 2026
    UK Parliament petition 762320 'Stop the East Havering Data Centre from going ahead' rejected because it asked for local-level action [S10]
  7. 23 March 2026
    Protect the Green Belt (North Ockendon Alliance) served a pre-action letter proposing judicial review of the consultation (insufficient time, Equality Act duties, information, gas pipeline safety) [S5]
  8. 12 April 2026
    Formal consultation closed (council pages say 12 April; a headline reports the period was extended from the original 7 April) [S2] [S6]
  9. 21 August 2026
    Press report that the draft LDO consultation is complete and the final council decision is pending [S9]

Politicians and organisations

  • Andrew Rosindell MP: said 'Twenty eight day consultation is not acceptable' and that the scheme is in completely the wrong place
  • Havering Green Party: 'grave concerns remain' (headline, 24 April 2026)
  • Damian White (then Conservative council leader, 2022): called for a public inquiry into Green Belt loss
  • Protect the Green Belt (North Ockendon Alliance)
  • North Ockendon Residents Association (NORA)
  • Havering Friends of the Earth (Ian Pirie)
  • No To East Havering Data Centre (informal residents' group)
  • CPRE (2022 opposition)
  • Global Action Plan / Stop Dirty Data Centres (protest, 27-28 February 2026)

Claims

Claims by developers, campaigners or councils, recorded as claims and not checked as fact.

  • Digital Reef (developer): GBP14.7bn total investment; 620 permanent jobs in Havering; 1,780 jobs supported across UK; about GBP13.5m a year business rates; 113ha Ecology Park; biodiversity net gain figures [S1] [S4]
  • Digital Reef (developer): Net zero operational design with no on-site fossil fuel use [S4]
  • London Borough of Havering regeneration web page (council): At least 9,000 jobs across the borough and about GBP13.5m a year council income; GBP5.3bn investment [S1]
  • Foxglove (Donald Campbell, Director of Advocacy) commenting on figures reported by The Guardian; figures republished by Fuse Energy and others (campaigners): Operational emissions of more than 1 million tonnes CO2e a year and 2.65 billion kWh a year of electricity, as stated in the developer's own planning documents (as reported); a 'staggering' threat to UK decarbonisation [S9] [S14]
  • Protect the Green Belt (North Ockendon Alliance) (campaigners): Scheme is 'Europe's largest data centre' and sits on top of a high-pressure gas transmission pipeline with potential for disaster [S5]
  • Press reports (Techerati, DCD) (other): Digital Reef reportedly offered the council GBP9 million if permission were granted (2022-23 reporting) [S11] [S15]

Campaigns

Sources

  1. [S1] East Havering Datacentre and Ecology Park. London Borough of Havering. Level 1 source.
  2. [S2] East Havering Datacentre and Ecology Park (LDO page). London Borough of Havering. Level 1 source.
  3. [S3] Havering Local Planning Authority to seek approval for consultation on proposed LDO for East Havering Data Centre. London Borough of Havering, 24 February 2026. Level 1 source.
  4. [S4] East Havering Data Centre - Find out more. Digital Reef (developer website). Level 3 source.
  5. [S5] Havering Council faces judicial review over 'Europe's largest data centre' plan. The Havering Daily, 24 March 2026. Level 4 source.
  6. [S6] East Havering Data Centre consultation page. London Borough of Havering. Level 1 source.
  7. [S7] Sadiq Khan's Data Centre Plan Sparks Havering Green Belt Row. East London Times, 27 July 2026. Level 4 source.
  8. [S8] Leader's statement following the proposed East Havering Datacentre neighbours meeting. London Borough of Havering, 31 July 2024. Level 1 source.
  9. [S9] Digital Reef's proposed London datacentre could emit 1M tonnes of CO2 annually. CryptoBriefing, 21 August 2026. Level 5 source.
  10. [S10] Stop the East Havering Data Centre from going ahead (UK Parliament petition 762320). UK Parliament petitions. Level 1 source.
  11. [S11] 600MW East London green belt data center faces opposition from environmentalists and councillors. DatacenterDynamics, 15 November 2022. Level 5 source.
  12. [S12] 'A GBPbillion proposal on protected greenbelt land In Havering demands a democratic vote' - say residents. The Havering Daily, 28 May 2026. Level 4 source.
  13. [S13] No to East Havering Data Centre. No To East Havering Data Centre (residents' group). Level 6 source.
  14. [S14] East Havering data centre: 1M tonnes CO2e threatens UK net zero. Fuse Energy, 23 August 2026. Level 5 source.
  15. [S15] Havering Council may avoid public consultation for 'Europe's largest' data centre. Techerati, 5 October 2023. Level 5 source.
  16. [S16] Allow a 12-week public consultation on the 600MW data centre LDO. Change.org. Level 6 source.
  17. [S17] Campaigners unite to stop dirty Data Centres. Global Action Plan. Level 6 source.
  18. [S18] Havering Council maintains benefits of controversial data centre, despite pushback. Yellow Advertiser, 8 August 2024. Level 4 source.
  19. [S19] East Havering Data Centre public consultation. Upminster & Cranham Residents' Association. Level 6 source.