A leading provider of data centres in Ireland is to challenge a recent decision to refuse it planning permission for two new centres at its existing campus in west Dublin.
EdgeConneX Ireland has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against the recent rejection by South Dublin County Council of its plans for two adjoining data centres on a site at Ballmakaily in Lucan, Co Dublin.
The proposed project is meant to be the final phase of the development of the company's data centre campus.
Last year, EdgeConneX was granted planning permission for two other similar data centres on the same 22-hectare site off the Newcastle Road together with three gas-powered generation plants.
The latest proposed single-storey data centres were to cover an area of over 15,000sq/m together with 24 standby diesel generators.
Outlining the reason for its refusal of planning permission, South Dublin County Council said there was already insufficient capacity in the electricity network together with the lack of a fixed connection agreement to connect to the national grid.
In addition, it said there was a lack of significant renewable energy on the applicant’s site to power the proposed data centre and a lack of evidence of the company having any power purchase agreements in Ireland.
Council planners said the county development plan placed a key emphasis on the requirement for data centres within its administrative area to be sustainable with a requirement for planning applicants to show there was sufficient capacity within the electricity network to accommodate them.
Members of South Dublin County Council had previously attempted to impose a total ban on the development of new data centres but the local authority was ordered to reverse the controversial measure by the then Minister of State for Planning, Peter Burke, last year.
The council also refused planning permission for the project on grounds that it did not comply with the county development plan in terms of retaining and protecting existing green infrastructure on the site.
In its appeal, EdgeConneX argues that the proposed development is fully in accordance with both local and national policy on data centres.
The company accused South Dublin County Council of taking "an unduly rigid approach" to its county development plan and had misinterpreted part of the company’s response to planning concerns.
Consultants acting for EdgeConneX said the council’s decision was "inherently flawed" and should be overturned.
They pointed out that the company had an existing connection agreement with Eirgrid and there were no energy capacity issues with the proposed data centres which meant the council’s concerns were "unfounded."
While energy for the data centres would be provided in the medium-term by connection to the national grid, EdgeConneX said it would use power from one of its gas-powered generation plants in the short-to-medium term.
It noted that the plant was designed to operate on renewable fuel sources when they become available.
The company claimed that its gas-powered energy plant would "benefit the stability of the electricity grid."
EdgeConneX said it had also been engaging with brokers of renewable power purchase agreements which was "unequivocal evidence" of its intent and commitment to securing a renewable energy source for the data centres.
The company said it was not in question that some 760 metres of hedgerow would be removed as part of the project together with another development that had been granted planning permission.
However, it said over 1,300 metres of hedgerow would be retained and a further 1,052 metres of new hedgerow was being proposed which would result in "a net biodiversity and ecological gain."
A ruling on the appeal is due by mid-December.
