Greenwich Council has publicly opposed the proposed 100,000sqm data centre in Charlton Riverside, with a cabinet member calling it a “nuisance” for residents. The consultation on the project, dubbed ‘Charlton Gateway’, concludes on Tuesday, October 20.
Logistics firm GLi wants to build the 30-metre tall centre on industrial land just south west of the Thames Barrier. The company says the project would bring “major benefits to the area and support wider regeneration of the riverside”. However, the council’s Labour administration has voiced strong opposition.
Council opposition and resident concerns
At a full council meeting on September 23, Cabinet Member for Planning and Development Cllr Tom Creswell said: “Let me be unequivocal on this. This Labour administration does not support the data centre proposal in Charlton. No ifs, no buts.”
“We want to deliver thousands of new homes and 1,000 new jobs in Charlton Riverside. We don’t think a data centre does that. We think it will take up too much space. It will be a nuisance for existing residents and also the residents who we hope to move in, in these new homes.”
Creswell added: “We think it won’t be environmentally friendly. We want the development at Charlton Riverside to be based in climate resilience, and a data centre doesn’t accord with that in the slightest. So I’m very happy to be completely unequivocal about that. We do not support the data centre as an administration.”
GLi’s proposals and environmental claims
GLi launched the consultation earlier this month, with a deadline of October 20 for public feedback via the consultation website. The company claims the centre will use a “closed loop system” for water, meaning water will be continuously reused and “very little water consumption” will be required. It also says electricity will not be drawn from the existing local power supply.
The firm says the data centre will add £6.4 million annually to Greenwich Council via business rates. It also plans to extend Herringham Road to the north of the site to connect with routes across the riverside, improving local infrastructure.
GLi is looking to reuse waste heat from the centre so “neighbouring homes can benefit from it”. It also wants to build new green spaces for the community, including a park behind the centre and its closest residential neighbourhoods, Atlas and Derrick Gardens, which are about 90m away. Alongside the data centre, the firm proposes a “flexible on-site community space and workspace” for small businesses.
Context and regeneration plans
Data centres are increasingly common across London as AI use and cloud storage demand grows, impacting water and energy supplies. Greenwich Council recently announced a partnership with the GLA and TfL aiming to deliver 8,000 homes and 1,000 jobs at Charlton Riverside over the next 20 years.
GLi believes its data centre proposal can contribute to that regeneration, but the council remains opposed. Residents and stakeholders have until October 20 to submit their views on the consultation website.
