Residents of Little Bollington, a village on the Cheshire border with Greater Manchester, say they have been left 'anxious and scared' after plans were unveiled for a 22-metre high data centre on green belt land. The proposal, put forward by Innova, which describes itself as a green energy firm, would cover a 60-hectare site known as Spodegreen Data Centre.
Villagers say they first learned of the plans in September, when Innova posted leaflets through their doors advertising a consultation event around a week later. One resident, who asked not to be named, told the Manchester Evening News: "It has just made us all anxious and nervous really. I have no idea how it is going to affect our way of life, or our ability to sell [our house] in the future if we ever decided to."
The resident added: "We moved here eight years ago because we were surrounded by greenbelt land and we never thought in a million years that they would build that monstrosity in front of our house. It just makes you stressed and anxious because you don't know what is going to happen."
Concerns over farmland, flooding and wildlife
A woman who has lived in Little Bollington for three years said: "It is scary… I am absolutely appalled." The land earmarked by Innova is also home to a former tenant farmer, now over 90 years old, according to reports. Residents' concerns centre on the loss of farmland, the use of green belt land, noise and sound pollution, and the impact on homes and local wildlife.
Data centres are large warehouses housing computer systems and digital infrastructure needed for services such as generative AI, websites, apps, cloud storage, streaming platforms, online banking, and healthcare systems. The proposal is part of a wider trend: according to The Times, the AI boom has driven a 36.6 per cent increase in the construction of British data centres.
At 600,000 square metres, the Spodegreen Data Centre campus would be three times larger than Vantage Newport, currently the UK's largest data centre by land area.
Public consultation and flood risk fears
At a public consultation held at High Legh village hall on September 30, former parish clerk Mike Reed told the MEN he objected to the data centre because "it is greenbelt land in the buffer zone between the spread of Greater Manchester's urban development and the Cheshire countryside". He added: "It is very close to the National Trust estate at Dunham Massey and the Rostherne Mere which is of special scientific interest… And the countryside gets a lot of visitors. So the value of that land is very high indeed."
Mr Reed also raised concerns about flooding, saying: "I was shocked to come here [to the public consultation] and find that on the publicity [Innova] say that the land is not a flood zone. On New Year's Eve last year we had major flooding in the village; two of the properties were evacuated. One of them was uninhabitable for 18 months and the other is now empty and cannot be sold due to water damage. Now they are going to add a whole new area of paving; how much is that going to add to the flood risk?"
In December 2025, an embankment on Bridgewater Canal near Little Bollington was swept away by flooding.
Plans not yet submitted
Plans for the data centre have not yet been submitted to Cheshire East Council, although timeline posters at Innova's public consultation marked the timeframe for submission as '2026/2027'. At the consultation, Innova showcased what it believes will be community benefits, such as enhancing local landmarks, improving local internet infrastructure, making land available to the community, and boosting biodiversity.
However, locals were sceptical, and some expressed concerns over who would end up running the data centre should planning permission be granted. When asked what it would take for the village to accept the plans, Mr Reed replied: "For them to go somewhere else!"
A village action group has been formed, and residents are preparing to oppose the plans. "We will try to stop it," one resident told the MEN. "It is greenbelt land, it is agricultural land; it is worth fighting for."
After being approached by the MEN, a spokesperson for Innova said: "We were pleased with the turnout at last night's first consultation event and grateful to local residents for providing valuable feedback around water, noise, landscape, drainage and Green Belt in particular. The technical assessments that will provide detailed answers to these questions including those on noise, water use and energy demand, are being undertaken. We will continue to collate feedback over the coming weeks and feed it into that work before returning to the community to present it."
