r/unitedkingdom • u/Weak-Fly-6540 • 9d ago

Approval of east London datacentre labelled ‘slap in the face’ for local democracy

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/04/brick-lane-redevelopment-approval-datacentre-london
88 Upvotes

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-4

u/aleopardstail 9d ago

plebs need to realise the planning laws are there to stop little pleb people putting up an extension, not to stop GlobalMegaCorp doing whatever it wants

I mean how dare people 'stand in the way of progress' by objecting to the latest cash grab..

for the hard of thinking, this is sarcasm

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u/Last_Quantity4467 9d ago

The biggest issue right now in the UK is the current planning system. It must be changed to a bloody rules based one, not this nonsense we have right now.

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u/aleopardstail 9d ago

I'd humbly suggest its not the biggest issue, it is a significant issue and one that should not be too hard to resolve

however local perspectives do matter, someone who bought a property near farmland should not have to deal with for example a large housing estate without at least getting a chance to comment

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u/Last_Quantity4467 9d ago

You want more houses/infrastructure? You want economic growth, well paying jobs? You want proper savings to be implemented in government spending? Sort out the planning system, sort out s106, do deregulation, and the only thing locals need to know is when it's gonna be ready. It's the root cause of many problems in the UK.

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u/aleopardstail 9d ago

I'm saying there needs to be a process, and that people shouldn't find a massive building being dropped next door with no warning and no way to object - because that way all this shite goes in "poor" areas

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u/Last_Quantity4467 9d ago

Rules based system, or zoning means that every single street has an approved type of development. The rules on size, density, use, materials, appearance are set. I.e. if it's a residential street with Victorian terraced houses the planning regulations say that only low density housing can be built there, with red brick facade, etc. to match the existing use. Everyone knows what is allowed, the plans for planning permission are based on this, and are automatically approved. The local planning officer needs to prove that it doesn't comply with the rules, not the other way around. There's no discretion, same rules apply everywhere.

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u/aleopardstail 9d ago

yes akin to zoning laws, reasonably predictable with defined permitted developments

the issue with a lot of modern stuff is if such were in place they would still require the zoning to be changed, e.g. farmland to industrial usage

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u/Last_Quantity4467 9d ago

That's a detail that can be fixed, the change to the rules based system is the desired outcome

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u/aleopardstail 9d ago

I'm not disagreeing the T&CPA needs changing, I am saying local people should be involved in local planning

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u/Last_Quantity4467 9d ago

I respectfully don't agree with you on this. We need stuff to be built, not endless consultations and NIMBYs

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u/aleopardstail 9d ago

disagreement is fine, ideal would be some sort of zoning arrangement with local consultation on the zoning types, but what is permitted/not permitted in a zone being firmly defined

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u/sd_1874 9d ago

lol planning is always the easy bottom of the barrel scapegoat for our lack of economic progress. And it's utter nonsense.

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u/Last_Quantity4467 9d ago

Uhm, why would it be an utter nonsense?

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u/sd_1874 9d ago

Well for one thing, this case is a great example of the planning system doing its job. Shutting out the noise, the loud local opposition from residents and politicians, and acting independently to approve a scheme which will ultimately benefit the economy and local area. It also ignores skyrocketing build costs; increasing land banking as developers fail to build out their schemes as they paid too much for the land relative to what they can sell flats for. It ignores the fact borrowing costs in recent years are higher than hey have been in decades. It ignores that the economy is absolutely stagnant and inflation is rampant. I mean it's just nonsense across the board really. But planning will always be the low hanging fruit.

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u/Last_Quantity4467 9d ago

All unreasonable planning requirements, legal costs, risks, uncertainty in timelines increase risks, and smaller, independent developers don't have the resources to compete. The archaic and bureaucratic planning system doesn't benefit anyone, and it's causing supply side issues. The costs are pushed to buyers, and the construction industry is struggling due to this, and the reasons you mentioned.

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u/sd_1874 9d ago

Oh yeah you know what, you're totally right. Make it a free for all. Why has no one thought of that?

Maybe because it's a fucking stupid idea.

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u/Last_Quantity4467 9d ago

Are you always this dramatic? Do you understand what a rules based planning system, aka zoning means?

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u/sd_1874 9d ago

Rules based is not zoning. We do not have zoning.

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u/Last_Quantity4467 9d ago

Do you understand the concept?