KCC Rejects Motions Proposing Review Of Land Zoning For Data Centre Construction In Naas

The motions were brought by Independent Ireland Councillor Bill Clear and Sinn Féin Councillor Noel Connolly

Kildare County Council has rejected two motions that attempted to overturn a decision to zone land in Naas exclusively for data centres.

The motions were brought by Independent Ireland Councillor Bill Clear and Sinn Féin Councillor Noel Connolly.

22 Councillors voted against the motion, 11 voted in favour and seven abstained from the vote.

The exact breakdown of the vote wasn't available, but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Councillors largely rejected the motions.

A large crowd of protesters were present on the Newbridge road near Áras Chill Dara yesterday (28 September) while the motions were being discussed.

Following the vote, Cllr Bill Clear believes "the vote tells us something important about where the debate on data centres in Kildare is now heading".

Kfm News also received a joint Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael statement regarding the situation:

"We appreciate that the motion today has been the focus of a very active public campaign and that engagement is always welcome.

Land use zoning is an indicative mapping of what are considered potentially appropriate uses for land in an area. It undergoes extensive scrutiny from statutory bodies and public consultation. Through this process no objections were received from statutory agencies such as Irish Water, Energy regulator etc that the proposal within the Naas plan was flawed. To overturn that decision at this point without any material changes that informed the initial decision, would undermine the process which in turn would give vulnerability to all decisions of zoning and set an unwarranted precedent.

Zoning simply designates areas on a map where specific types of development may be considered, it does not constitute planning permission. Any future proposal on this site must go through a rigorous planning application process. That process will evaluate the precise details of any proposal against current planning policies, environmental constraints, and infrastructure capacity. It is a fully public process with opportunities for submissions, objections, and subsequent appeals. It is our considered view that it is the process of a planning application that the current campaign should be focused on. It is only through the details of a planning process that the specific concerns outlined by many can be addressed. Those details cannot be evaluated at the zoning stage because no specific development proposal exists yet. It is disappointing that members of the public were advised to focus their efforts on overturning the zoning rather than engaging with the planning process itself.

Data Centres are a piece of critical infrastructure, necessary to support some of the vital functions of modern life. It is fair to say that technology is moving at a great rate, we acknowledge the frustrations and anxieties felt by public with regard to some elements of technological development. However it is not our role to regulate these complex entities and regardless of their existence, data centres would still be required to support essential daily functions in finance, healthcare, communications, and business. Kildare benefits significantly in employment and economic activity from the technology sector, and our proximity to strategic connectivity infrastructure brings a responsibility to accommodate essential digital development.

We would also like to point out that introducing a specific 'Data Centre' zoning objective for this land was implemented by Naas Councillors as a means of signaling to public in an open and transparent manner the likely land use. Previously, such developments would fall under a general 'Industrial' zoning. By creating a specific designation, the Councillors aimed to prevent the haphazard proliferation of data centre applications across multiple general industrial sites in the area.

Finally, we reiterate our support of public engagement, it is always heartening to see people take an interest in their community and while inevitably, we may not always agree, that debate is important for both democracy and helps inform us of the importance of our duties as local representatives. However and ironically, with the emergence of social media as a valuable tool in campaigning, it is important to adhere to a reasonable code of conduct. Naming of officials, making unfounded allegations about individuals or attributing factual status to unsubstantiated opinions only serves to undermine this medium for future use. The scale of this campaign has made it impossible for many Councillors across the County, to reply to every email, many of them identical in content and while we apologise for that the role of a Councillor is not a full-time position and we do not have staff. Please be assured that the matter has been given very serious consideration and for the large part we applaud the commitment shown by the local community throughout this campaign."

Speaking on Kildare Today, Fianna Fáil Councillor for Kildare-Newbridge MD Rob Power says that a review of the zoning wouldn't necessarily achieve what people are expecting:

"I don't think a review would achieve what people want it to, which is a site-specific analysis to see if the site is suitable for a data centre.

"In my view that is just going through an application, where you have full detail about what's being proposed on site."

The full interviews from yesterday's protest and with Cllr Rob Power can be heard below: