Tag Archives: Art Data Centres

PLANS for a €450 million data centre in Ennis have been described as “ill timed and ill placed” by Clare’s Green Party senator. The observation by Senator Roisin Garvey came as the developers submitted a response to appeals against the proposal submitted to An Bord Pleanala. A decision on the controversial plans for the Art Data Centre Campus near the Tulla Road is set to be made by An Bord Pleanala in the new year. Appeals against the development have been submitted to An Bord Pleanala by Clare Green Party, Futureproof Clare, Friends of the Irish Environment and An Taisce as well as three individuals. Senator Garvey commented this week, “At a time of huge energy security concerns this is ill timed and ill placed. “There is a moratorium by Government on Data centres and if any more go ahead in the future they will have to have access to renewable energy. “I think West Clare with its offshore wind …

AN Ennis councillor has resigned from the company set up to deliver Ennis 2040 objectives having appealed to An Bord Pleanala against controversial plans for a €450 million data centre. Councillor Johnny Flynn made the announcement he was stepping down from the Ennis 2040 (Strategic Development) Designated Activity Company (DAC) at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. The development of a data centre at Toureen plays a central role in the Ennis 2040 plan where it is included among a number of ‘Transformational Projects’ for the county capital. Councillor Flynn told the meeting he did not want to “distract” from the Ennis 2040 DAC’s work after lodging his appeal against the development on the Tulla Road. He outlined that he has been engaged with the planning process for the site for a number of years including making a submission relating to its rezoning in 2019. Last month Art Data Centre Campus in Ennis became the first to be …

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners from across the country ramped up their campaign against plans for a €450 million data centre in Ennis this week by handing in an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. Futureproof Clare’s appeal against the 10-year planning permission recently granted to Art Data Centres Ltd was submitted with the support of Ecojustice Ireland, Extinction Rebellion, and Friends of the Irish Environment. Air quality issues, water consumption, poor public consultation, public health impacts and climate and biodiversity impacts have been cited in Futureproof Clare’s opposition. Futureproof Clare together with Ecojustice Ireland are challenging the decision to grant permission on the following grounds: failure to adhere to Irish Statutory requirements, failure to have regard to relevant considerations, and failure to adhere to international and EU environmental law. Declan Owens, lawyer and chairperson of Ecojustice Ireland claimed that the site of the planned data centre would be “transformed into a further blight on the landscape” if the development goes ahead. The appeal …

FIFTEEN conditions were attached to the decision to grant planning permission to Art Data Centres, one of which is that it pays over €2 million to Clare County Council. The chief executive’s order stated that prior to the commencement of the development, the developer/applicant “shall pay a contribution of €2,137,320 to Clare County Council in respect of public infrastructure and facilities benefiting development in the area of the Planning Authority”. It added, “At the time of payment, the contribution will be subject to any applicable adjustment in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Planning Authority’s development contribution scheme in place at the time of payment.” The planning permission is for a period of ten years from it being granted. Another condition is that prior to commencement, the developer shall submit a schedule of mitigation measures, as identified in its Environmental Impact Assessment Report and Waste Management Plan, in a completed and phased Construction Environmental Management Plan and Waste Management …

CLARE County Council has granted planning permission to the controversial €450-million Ennis data centre near the Tulla Road. Art Data Centre Campus in Ennis has become the first to be approved following publication of the Government’s new data centre policy. The data centre has been four years moving through various stages including strategic site assessment, zoning and planning. Developers claim it will create between 400-450 permanent jobs when the data centre campus is fully operational. Up to 1,200 will be employed in construction and 600 jobs in support services. The new Government Policy Statement on the role of Data Centres in Ireland’s Enterprise Strategy was published on Wednesday July 27 and the Ennis Campus is considered to align well with the policies set out therein. Mr Tom McNamara, CEO of Art Data Centres, the developer of the project, welcomed the announcement. “This is great news for this data centre campus and for Clare as the project will be a key …

AN alliance of local activists and environmental groups is to hold a public meeting in Ennis this Wednesday evening to highlight opposition to the proposed data centre near the town. The meeting will take place at 7pm at The Copper Jug Bar and Café (Courtview, Lifford, Ennis) to convey the group’s “deep concern” about plans by Art Data Centres Ltd. to construct a data centre on the Tulla Road, Ennis, which, they claim, will consume as much electricity as 200,000 homes – more than in Clare and Limerick combined. A spokesperson for the group said, “The plans to build one of the largest data centres in the country here in Ennis brings with it an additional threat to the health of people here as the plans include a gas burning plant that will only make the air quality here worse than it already is, leading to asthma and other respiratory problems.” Ruairí Ó Fathaigh, industry expert and Futureproof Clare member …

OVER 1,100 homes could benefit from high grade heat generated as part of the planned €1.2 billion data centre campus in Ennis. It has been proposed to allow for homes or businesses to connect and make use of this heat within a 5km radius of the data centre site, a response to further information on the plans confirms. A decision on the controversial plan is due to be made in the coming weeks. Art Data Centres Ltd submitted a response to a further information request on the plans to Clare County Council. The developers’ response also contends an existing flood risk “will not be impacted” by the installation of a proposed new watermain as part of the plans. In its further information request the planning authority noted that excess heat from the proposal “may provide an opportunity for the provision of a district heating system” for the local area. A statement on whether full and comprehensive consideration has been given …

A PUBLIC information event will take place next Monday (August 16) to air environmental concerns over the planned €1.2 billion Ennis data centre. The online briefing will be hosted by Futureproof Clare, who are calling on the local authority to reject the application on the grounds of the centre’s massive energy requirements. It will be addressed by Deputy Bríd Smith and Professor Barry McMullin of Dublin City University (DCU). According to an application lodged by Art Data Centres Ltd last month, the facility will have access to 200 mega-watts of power from both the network grid and gas generation on site. The data centre campus, whose developers have promised will create thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent positions, is identified by Clare County Council as a key pillar of the Ennis 2040 Economic Plan. Concerns over energy and resource consumption by the facility have now been raised by Futureproof Clare, Extinction Rebellion Clare and the Clare Environmental Network. …