Leeds City Council approves data center moratorium
The Leeds City Council has approved a one-year moratorium on the development of data centers. This decision was made to allow the city time to update its zoning regulations, which are currently not equipped to handle high-impact facilities like data centers, and to ensure future development aligns with the city's long-term land use plan.
The Leeds City Council approved a one-year moratorium on the development of data centers during its meeting on Monday, June 8. This ordinance temporarily halts all property development approvals and permits for data center campuses and similar high-impact facilities within the city.
The council stated that the city's existing zoning regulations were not designed to accommodate such facilities, necessitating time to develop comprehensive standards. The moratorium will allow Leeds to create appropriate zoning ordinances and amendments to protect public interest and ensure future development aligns with its long-term land use plan.
Although no data centers are currently under development in Leeds, the decision comes amidst concerns and rumors of data centers considering the area. Neighboring municipalities such as Columbiana have seen significant data center activity, including Digi Power X's AI data center, which recently secured a $1.1 billion agreement with Cerebras Systems. Other towns like Wilsonville and Westover are also experiencing ongoing opposition and planned data center developments. The day after Leeds' decision, the Birmingham City Council also approved new zoning conditions for data center development.