Why does everyone hate datacentres?
A Guardian report examines growing local resistance to AI data centers, focusing on a proposed 5,200-square-meter facility near Brick Lane in east London that the UK government is pushing forward despite community opposition. Critics point to noise, visual impact, heavy resource use, and profits that flow primarily to American tech companies.
Why this matters: People near these sites bear real costs — noise, land use, strain on power and water — while the financial gains leave the neighborhood entirely. That is not a niche complaint. It is a straightforward question about who decides where infrastructure goes and who benefits. When governments fast-track data centers over local objection, they are making a choice about whose interests count. The communities pushing back are asking a fair question: why should we absorb the downsides of infrastructure we do not own or profit from?
Who should care: General readers · AI governance · Policy
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