A Microsoft data centre proposal is facing mounting criticism after Green Party members of the local authority expressed their opposition to the scheme.
The development at the former Skelton Grange power station location reportedly contradicts Leeds City Council’s pledges to address climate change.
A petition opposing the hyperscale data centre initiative, which secured planning consent in April, has gathered more than 40,000 signatures.
Objectors in Stourton have flagged worries regarding the volume of water and electricity the facility would require.
Leeds Green Party released a statement highlighting that local residents had raised substantial objections concerning energy and water usage, flood vulnerability, heat output, and effects on nearby communities.
The statement noted that while planning approval appears to have been granted and the council’s prospects for overturning that decision are severely constrained, efforts to demand answers and the strictest environmental standards would persist should construction proceed.
The authority’s eleven Green Party representatives pressed Microsoft to harness waste heat from the site for residential heating purposes and to introduce flood mitigation measures.
Their statement expressed that Leeds merits development that serves both communities and the climate rather than schemes that jeopardise the city’s own environmental goals.
Microsoft indicated that substantial investment in critical national infrastructure projects across the United Kingdom was underway.
The corporation stated that residents in the vicinity of the proposed Leeds facility engaged with a public consultation exercise.
A company representative indicated that the planned installation would rely on air-cooling for more than 95 percent of annual operation.
Energy consumption in the United Kingdom would be entirely offset through renewable sources, with Microsoft maintaining dedication to achieving carbon negativity, water positivity, and zero waste by 2030.
Leeds City Council advised that the planning application’s approval adhered to national legislative and policy requirements.
An authority representative stated that a significant portion of the development’s operational water demand would be satisfied via a rainwater harvesting installation, while planning stipulations would guarantee appropriate management and potential reuse of waste heat.
The project encompasses three data centre structures containing computer servers, alongside a warehouse providing as much as 161,000 square feet of floor space.
Electrical connections, emergency generators, and cooling chimneys would also form part of the scheme.