Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of data centres on the natural environment.

The Environment Agency works with government and the data centre sector to ensure environmental considerations are reflected in planning and decision-making. They also engage with developers and planning authorities to help identify environmental constraints and opportunities at an early stage, supporting sustainable development while protecting water resources, habitats and wider environmental quality. Where appropriate, developments are also subject to environmental permitting, abstraction licensing or other regulatory requirements.

All new developments, including data centres, must consider local environmental impacts, such as water availability. New data centres will only be supplied with water where the relevant water company assesses that sufficient water resources are available.