Stop the Bridgwater Data Centre — Protect Somerset’s Land, Water and Communities

To: Somerset Council, Bridgwater Without Parish Council, and our local MP

The Issue
A proposal has been lodged to build a 500MW data centre campus on roughly 129 hectares (nearly 320 acres) of land near junction 23 of the M5, between the A39 Bath Road and an existing solar farm in Bridgwater, Somerset. The development could reach up to 28 metres in height, making it a dominant and permanent fixture on the Somerset Levels landscape.
Somerset Council approved the developer’s initial screening request despite objections, meaning more detailed plans are now expected to come forward. Bridgwater Without Parish Council has already formally objected, citing serious concerns about worsened local flooding and increased heavy goods vehicle traffic during construction — concerns that matter deeply in an area that sits on the Somerset Levels, a landscape already vulnerable to flooding.

Why This Matters
 • Flooding risk: Bridgwater and the surrounding Levels are low-lying and flood-prone. Large-scale hardstanding and construction on this scale raises real questions about drainage and water runoff that have not been fully answered.
 • Water and energy demand: Data centres of this size consume vast quantities of water for cooling and power for operation, placing new strain on local infrastructure that residents and farmers already depend on.
 • Traffic and disruption: The scale of construction traffic proposed would affect roads never designed for this kind of heavy industrial use.
 • Lack of genuine consultation: Communities are being asked to accept a fait accompli — a screening request approved before local concerns were properly addressed, with more detail expected only after the principle has already been waved through.
 • National override risk: Because the UK Government has classified data centres as Critical National Infrastructure, developments like this can potentially bypass local council refusals entirely, with the Secretary of State empowered to approve projects that local authorities reject. Somerset’s voice deserves to be heard before that stage is reached, not overridden after.

Our Demands
 1. A full, independent flood risk and environmental assessment before any further planning stage proceeds, with results made public.
 2. Genuine, well-publicised community consultation — not a token exercise — before any masterplan is submitted.
 3. Full transparency from Somerset Council on its reasoning for approving the screening request, and disclosure of any correspondence with the developer, Express Distribution Park Ltd.
 4. Formal recognition of Bridgwater Without Parish Council’s objections as a material planning consideration, not a formality to be noted and set aside.
 5. A commitment from Somerset Council not to support any application that lacks a clear, binding plan for water usage, energy sourcing, and flood mitigation.

Join Us
Somerset is not the first community to face this fight — and we don’t have to fight it alone. From North Devon’s campaign against the Great Torrington data centre to national efforts calling for a moratorium on unchecked data centre expansion, communities across the UK are pushing back against developments that prioritise Big Tech’s infrastructure over local land, water, and voices.
Sign this petition to demand transparency, proper consultation, and real environmental safeguards before this development goes any further.