Permission refused for controversial data centre planned for Waterford village
Waterford City and County Council has refused permission for the controversial Kilmeaden data centre
Planning permission has been refused for a controversial data centre planned for a village in County Waterford.
The development, which was planned for Kilmeaden, faced fierce opposition from local residents.
It would have seen the construction of a major data centre and technology operation on the site of the former cheese factory in the village.
Substantial energy infrastructure, including gas-fired generation, battery storage and solar generation, were also planned.
As well as that, there were plans for a new village centre with 48 apartments, a supermarket, childcare facility, community centre, gym, café, and pharmacy.
However, Waterford City and County Council announced their decision to refuse permission for the development this afternoon.
More than 500 submissions had been made in relation to the proposal, the vast majority of which were opposed.
Sinn Féin TDs Conor McGuinness and David Cullinane, who had opposed the development alongside local residents, welcomed the decision.
Deputy McGuinness said: “This is very welcome news for Kilmeaden and for the many residents who worked tirelessly to make their concerns heard.
“I want to commend everyone who made submissions, attended protests and stood together to oppose this proposal.
“The strength of feeling in the community was clear, and residents deserve great credit for the work they put into this campaign.”
He continued by outlining some of the concerns that were raised by local residents in relation to the development.
“From the outset, we raised serious concerns about the scale of this development, its enormous electricity demand and the implications of the associated energy infrastructure for the local community, the environment and our wider electricity system.
“This was not a minor development: it would have had an average electricity demand of approximately 203 megawatts.
“I have consistently argued that developments of this scale must be properly assessed in the context of their full environmental and infrastructure impacts.
“We will continue to stand resolutely with the Kilmeaden community and ensure their concerns are taken seriously.”
These sentiments were echoed by his party colleague, Deputy Cullinane, who also welcomed the news.
He stated: “This decision underlines the importance of proper planning and scrutiny when developments of this scale are proposed. Ireland needs a coherent approach to data centres that takes account of electricity demand, grid capacity, climate obligations and the impact on local communities.
“Economic development cannot be considered in isolation from those wider responsibilities. The public interest must remain central to decisions of this nature.”
The Notification of Decision letter in relation to the development is yet to be uploaded to the council website.
As a result, the council’s official reasons for the refusal are unknown at this stage.