Outside the Box: can data centres be good local citizens?

As public opposition to data centres reaches a frenzy before the upcoming US midterm elections, last week US President Trump changed his tone on data centre development in the US, advising operators to “do a deal with local communities” and pay local communities "dividends" to win public support. Opposition to data centres eased when companies reached financial agreements with local communities, he said.

Here in the UK, data centres developers and operators are trying to adapt this approach to secure a smoother path in their planned rollout, and last week told ministers they have 12 months to head off public opposition to datacentres in the UK or risk US-style protests that could threaten their construction. 

As anti-datacentre activism grows in the US and across Europe, they are calling on ministers to create a “compact” that would show how communities can benefit from hosting data centres.

The Project Sovereign AI Leadership (SAIL) taskforce brings together leaders from across the UK technology sector to review progress on the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan and set out what should come next. IIt's calling for the government to adopt a “Prosperity Compact” which will drive a “virtuous circle of capturing value for the nation”, embodied by four key elements:

·      Build well: build resilient and secure AI infrastructure and drive adoption in ways that create value in the short and long term, mobilising collaboration between public and private sectors

·      Capture: Britain keeps a meaningful share of the value AI creates

·      Stake: Captured value pays for visible benefits

·      Consent: Visible benefits change who argues for a project and who argues against it. Residents who see lower bills, councils that retain business rates, citizens that see environmental responsibility, and workers who see wage growth have a reason to back a data centre or grid connection at the planning meeting - enabling us to continue to invest in building well

What might these deals, and their visible benefits, look like?

According to real estate consultants JLL, “behind every successful data centre lies a powerful community story waiting to be told”. In a recent report it describes multiple examples of data centres in the US delivering economic and employment benefits, community infrastructure, environmental leadership and community partnerships.

Closer to home, I’ve found a few interesting examples.

In Ireland, Microsoft is providing learning centres for local children as part of its mission to “create lasting benefits for people living near its current and proposed data centre operations”. Announcing its new learning hub, Microsoft said

“through the new hub, Microsoft is delivering on its Data Centre Community Pledge to be a responsible and supportive neighbour to communities that host its data centres. Since 2018, Microsoft has invested over €6.5 million in Irish communities close to its current and future data centre operations, supporting programmes that advance community prosperity, sustainability and wellbeing and directly benefiting more than 135,000 people”

In Stockport, Kao Data has launched a fund for local community projects. Its Social Enterprise and Environmental Development (SEED) fund provides grants to local community groups and social enterprises. In its first funding round, it awarded £30k to twenty community groups with grants ranging from £500 to £2500. It is replicating this initiative in Harlow, Slough and west London.

In several places across the UK, Deep Green Energy is using data centres to provide waste heat recovery projects that are benefiting local communities. In Devon, the Exmouth Leisure Centre is the first site in the country to benefit from heat-recapture by cloud data centres. LED Community Leisure, who manage the centre on behalf of East Devon District Council, says the surplus heat donated to the leisure centre by Deep Green’s unit will reduce the pool’s gas requirements by 62%, saving both parties over £30,000 a year and will also reduce carbon emissions by 25.8 tonnes.

Capturing waste heat from data centres extends into other areas including housing, something I explored earlier this year in a profile of Heat Hubs which I described as a win-win for local communities.

I’ve recently explored this further by making a video with Travis Theune of Thermify, the manufacturer of Heat Hubs, whcih we presented last week to the Healthy City Design Congress.

The video addresses the role of Heat Hubs in supporting the development of healthy homes and even in alleviating fuel poverty. It’s called Out of the Box, and you can view it here – I welcome thoughts, comments and insights.

I also welcome new thinking about data centres and their role as local citizens – good and bad. The more we understand and learn from others’ successes and failures, the more we can innovate and create win-win solutions for local communities at scale. It’s time to think outside the box.

Clare Delmar

Listen to Locals

28 October 2026