Government is being urged to designate North Lincolnshire as an AI Growth Zone as major private-sector investment in data centres continues to gather pace.
Three significant market-led investments have come forward in North Lincolnshire, with two already securing planning permission and a third progressing separately through the planning process.
Council leader, Cllr Rob Waltham, said the interest demonstrates the area’s potential to become a nationally important centre for the infrastructure needed to power Britain’s growing AI economy.
But securing public confidence must go hand-in-hand with attracting investment, and developers must properly address concerns about energy and water use and demonstrate how communities will benefit.
Cllr Waltham said: “The market is already telling us that North Lincolnshire has something significant to offer. Investors are prepared to put serious money into the area and Government should now back that confidence by designating North Lincolnshire as an AI Growth Zone, as it has elsewhere.
“But we should not dismiss the genuine questions residents have about developments on this scale.
“Data centres need huge amounts of energy. People want to understand how much water they will use and how that will be managed. We should also be asking whether the enormous amount of heat they generate can be captured and put to productive use – potentially supporting agriculture, horticulture or other local industries.
“Developers need to engage with communities and provide credible answers. Being pro-investment does not mean ignoring legitimate concerns.”
He continued to say: “Increasing Britain’s domestic data-centre capacity was also becoming an issue of national resilience as businesses and public services become increasingly reliant on AI and cloud computing.
“Businesses are rightly thinking much more carefully about where their data is held, and organisations such as the NHS hold some of the most sensitive information there is.
“If AI is going to become fundamental to the British economy, Britain needs more of the infrastructure that supports it here in Britain. We should not become overly dependent on other countries for something that will become increasingly important to businesses, public services and national resilience.”
