A controversial decision by Housing Secretary Angela Rayner to force through plans for a data centre on Brick Lane has met strong opposition.
The proposal by Truman Estates would see a number of sites around Brick Lane transformed into a cinema, supermarket, office space, data centre, and 44 homes, six of which have been earmarked for social housing.
Over 7,000 people objected to the proposals, while a crowdfunding campaign is close to reaching a £24,000 target in aid of additional campaigning.
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets said: “The decision to grant the Truman Brewery applications is deeply disappointing and a missed opportunity to deliver the social and affordable housing that Tower Hamlets residents urgently need.
“We support regeneration that benefits local people, protects cultural heritage and strengthens communities. Development should be shaped by the needs of residents, not simply by commercial interests.”
Truman Estates have been contacted for comment.
Andra-Maria Placintescu, 25, an animator who also works as a retail assistant at a collection of independent markets directly adjacent to the new development, said of the space: “It’s like the last bastion of alternative culture.
“I feel like it’s [data centres] going to push away the genuine organic clientele that come here.
“That’s what I feel this data centre is risking – it’s people’s livelihoods, it’s people’s families, it’s people’s right to an affordable lifestyle.”
James Meadway, director of Verdant, an economic policy think tank, detailed the mounting pressure Brick Lane is facing, given their proximity to the city, from a hotbed of high-frequency traders keen to cut milliseconds from their orders and turn additional profits.
“This is of no social use to anybody else” he said.
“You make a tiny bit more money…[but] you’re fundamentally starting to change the character of the area in a way that most people living there don’t want to see happen.”
Meadway continued to stress the additional costs of data centre proliferation, especially in Tower Hamlets.
“18% of electricity in the borough is now being taken up by data centres so there’s a pressure on local resources.
“The demands on electricity and water are so great that there are part of the borough where planning officials say that housing starts are delayed by about a decade” he said.
Featured image credit: Tom Rattner
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