A PETITION has been launched by Warrington residents in opposition to proposals to transform the closed Unilever Crosfields site into an AI data centre.
As previously reported by the Warrington Guardian, new life is set to be breathed into the industrial premises, which closed down back in October 2020 and is located next to Bank Quay railway station.
The halting of the production line at Unilever’s Crosfields factory marked the end of centuries of soap-making in Warrington – an industry as synonymous with the town as wireworks and breweries.
Planning permission was previously granted to demolish buildings at the site, and Dante FS Group formally acquired four acres of the site in November for an undisclosed fee from EcoVyst.
The latter firm will continue to operate from sections of the site, as will PQ Corporation, with Dante buying land closest to the train station, including the visible blue buildings and white Unilever tanks.
Named Platform at Bank Quay, a ‘next-generation, state-of-the-art modular data centre’ is ‘set to power the UK’s growing AI economy’ from the site going forward, in what is hoped will also bring high-tech jobs to the town.
Before work starts on the site, all of the necessary permissions must be sought, and as part of this, Dante FS Group submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening opinion application to the council.
This is ahead of a full planning application, with the screening opinion setting out where there is the potential for significant environmental effects to occur and how they will be addressed.
The application was submitted in May, and Warrington Borough Council has now confirmed that an EIA is not required, paving the way for a full planning application to be submitted.
However, some Warrington residents are objecting to the proposed data site and have launched a petition in a bid to stop the development.
“Warrington Council are looking to build a data centre in place of Unilever soap factory,” the petition reads.
“AI is killing our planet, and we shouldn’t be allowing this into our community. Our running water will be scarce and undrinkable, the noise pollution will be unbearable, they are actively contributing to killing the planet, and so are we if we do not act.
“Warrington will be unliveable.”
Comments left on the Change.org petition echo concerns about AI usage and the fact that clean water must be used to cool data centres, leading to significant environmental implications.
“I used to be someone who used ai for the odd fact check or to generate an image when it was first introduced to us as being a highly capable and world changing tool,” said 19-year-old Isabella Higham.
“However recent years my eyes have been opened to the harm AI is causing. Young people rely too much on AI to aid them in schoolwork that we used to be able to do without the use of AI.
“They are planning on building this ai data centre in Warrington to become the AI data centre hub of the UK.
“As a country we have been informed to limit water usage especially in recent hot temperatures however a data centre like this would consume more water than the average Warrington population.”
The petition has received hundreds of signatures so far and can be found via www.change.org/p/we-don-t-need-a-warrington-data-centre
“We are in an energy and climate crisis which our country, and the world, are currently unprepared for,” another comment on the petition reads.
“This year, Europe has faced record-breaking temperatures, causing deaths, power failures, and infrastructural damage.
“Water suppliers have cautioned about limiting water use, yet data centres such as this would massively outweigh the local populace’s use.
“Forget the bubble. Bring back real jobs and help our town grow.”