Stop the Spode Green Data Centre, Altrincham
The Issue
Spode Green Farm in Little Bollington, Altrincham, around 150acres of farmland, is under threat from a large scale data centre proposal. Spode Green Farm falls within Cheshire East Local council, on the edge of Greater Manchester. The farm is designated as green belt, is high quality agricultural land, and is actively farmed.
The proposal is a campus style development housing 8 individual data centres, which threatens the local area with the loss of key green belt land protecting urban sprawl into the Cheshire countryside on the edge of the Greater Manchester urban zone. The 14oacre/60ha development is the equivalent size of 84 football pitches!!
A residents action group has been set up to oppose this data centre development, called the Spode Green Action Group, and this petition has been set up to garner support ahead of a formal planning application, to object against the proposals.
The first step in defending our farm land is making sure Tatton Estates / Millington Estates and Scottish Power revert part of the site back to farmland and remove all infrastructure. This was a temporary planning condition allowing the corner closest to Bowdon roundabout to be used as a construction compound during the link road construction and smart motorways programme. Tatton and Millington Estates should have set this area back to farmland in 2022 to protect the green belt, and Cheshire east issued them with a planning enforcement notice last month to do so, to which they have objected. This is unacceptable and the land must be restored to farmland. If we can get this enforced, the stronger our opposition to the data centre will be.
Many may ask why this development is concerning. For starters, the environmental impact is tremendous. Data centres consume vast amounts of energy and water, potentially leading to increased pollution and resource depletion. Early stage plans for this development outline total electricity demand for the data centres at 401 mega watts, which based on publicly available information estimates this site as the 5th largest data centre development in the UK, and it's being proposed on green belt land in the open countryside. To put this into context, this electricity demand is the equivalent of the energy usage of approximately 1.2million UK homes, a staggeringly high number.
The construction of a data centre of this scale would irreversibly alter the landscape. The noise pollution, combined with the constant hum of machinery, would fracture the peaceful environment that makes our community special.
This is not just about preserving the aesthetics of our surroundings; it is about safeguarding both the green belt and rural communities, and setting a precedent for preventing the unnecessary destruction of green belt land.
As a community we are not opposed to development, but these projects should be planned responsibly, and fully consider their long-term effects on both people and the environment. We need to find alternatives, such as investing in cleaner, smaller-scale facilities, and importantly, prioritising development on existing brownfield sites.
We urge the local council to reject this proposal. Our community deserves to be heard and protected from developments that neither respect nor accommodate our rural landscape.
Please join us in preserving Spode Green Farm, and sign our petition to prevent the construction of this disruptive data centre. Together, we can uphold the values and environment of our countryside.
For more information please visit our website:
2,611
The Issue
Spode Green Farm in Little Bollington, Altrincham, around 150acres of farmland, is under threat from a large scale data centre proposal. Spode Green Farm falls within Cheshire East Local council, on the edge of Greater Manchester. The farm is designated as green belt, is high quality agricultural land, and is actively farmed.
The proposal is a campus style development housing 8 individual data centres, which threatens the local area with the loss of key green belt land protecting urban sprawl into the Cheshire countryside on the edge of the Greater Manchester urban zone. The 14oacre/60ha development is the equivalent size of 84 football pitches!!
A residents action group has been set up to oppose this data centre development, called the Spode Green Action Group, and this petition has been set up to garner support ahead of a formal planning application, to object against the proposals.
The first step in defending our farm land is making sure Tatton Estates / Millington Estates and Scottish Power revert part of the site back to farmland and remove all infrastructure. This was a temporary planning condition allowing the corner closest to Bowdon roundabout to be used as a construction compound during the link road construction and smart motorways programme. Tatton and Millington Estates should have set this area back to farmland in 2022 to protect the green belt, and Cheshire east issued them with a planning enforcement notice last month to do so, to which they have objected. This is unacceptable and the land must be restored to farmland. If we can get this enforced, the stronger our opposition to the data centre will be.
Many may ask why this development is concerning. For starters, the environmental impact is tremendous. Data centres consume vast amounts of energy and water, potentially leading to increased pollution and resource depletion. Early stage plans for this development outline total electricity demand for the data centres at 401 mega watts, which based on publicly available information estimates this site as the 5th largest data centre development in the UK, and it's being proposed on green belt land in the open countryside. To put this into context, this electricity demand is the equivalent of the energy usage of approximately 1.2million UK homes, a staggeringly high number.
The construction of a data centre of this scale would irreversibly alter the landscape. The noise pollution, combined with the constant hum of machinery, would fracture the peaceful environment that makes our community special.
This is not just about preserving the aesthetics of our surroundings; it is about safeguarding both the green belt and rural communities, and setting a precedent for preventing the unnecessary destruction of green belt land.
As a community we are not opposed to development, but these projects should be planned responsibly, and fully consider their long-term effects on both people and the environment. We need to find alternatives, such as investing in cleaner, smaller-scale facilities, and importantly, prioritising development on existing brownfield sites.
We urge the local council to reject this proposal. Our community deserves to be heard and protected from developments that neither respect nor accommodate our rural landscape.
Please join us in preserving Spode Green Farm, and sign our petition to prevent the construction of this disruptive data centre. Together, we can uphold the values and environment of our countryside.
For more information please visit our website:
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Petition created on 15 October 2026