A two-year study published on Monday by the Riverton Regional Environmental Research Centre concludes that the proposed Northgate data campus would raise local air and shallow groundwater temperatures by small but measurable amounts, a finding likely to shape the Larchfield Borough Council’s review of the project. The study, commissioned by the council in late 2024 amid community concern, models a peak summer increase of up to 0.6°C in air temperature within 500 metres of the site and a 0.2–0.4°C rise in groundwater temperature in the nearest tributary aquifer over the first decade of operation.
Authors said the projected changes are less severe than some campaigners had feared but large enough to require mitigation measures in the planning consent. The report recommends a package including closed-loop cooling systems, installation of vegetated buffer zones, limits on nighttime external equipment operation and the construction of a shallow cooling pond to protect nearby wetland habitats.
The study used field data from 24 monitoring wells, 18 permanent air-temperature loggers installed at varying heights, thermal drone surveys conducted in July and August of this year, and hydrological modelling calibrated against five years of local rainfall records. An independent peer review carried out by the University of Eastford’s Department of Environmental Engineering concluded the methods and models were robust but flagged uncertainty in long-term aquifer response under climate-change scenarios.
Dr. Hanumun Ansar, lead author and hydrogeologist at the Riverton centre, said the findings should be seen in context. "The modeled temperature increase is measurable but, given the proposed mitigation, unlikely to produce acute ecological collapse in the tributary," he said. "However, small changes can shift species composition and we recommend ongoing monitoring for at least a decade after commissioning."
Local campaign groups reacted cautiously. Bethany Antonell, coordinator for the Larchfield Riverkeepers, said the report acknowledged local concerns but did not eliminate them: "Even modest warming of groundwater can accelerate algae growth and stress temperature-sensitive invertebrates that local fish rely on," she said. "We will press for legally binding monitoring conditions and rapid-response thresholds in any consent."
Larchfield Borough Council’s planning lead, Councillor Max Millard, said the study would be central to the decision scheduled for the council’s meeting on 19 October. "This report gives us the technical basis to set conditions if the project proceeds," Millard said. "We must balance the employment and tax benefits the campus promises — an estimated 430 direct jobs and a £38 million boost to local procurement over five years — against environmental safeguards we can enforce."
Developers for Northgate Data Campus, operated by a technology firm registered as Northgate Systems Ltd., said they welcomed the findings and would work with the council on mitigation. The study’s authors emphasised the importance of independent post-construction monitoring and recommended that any planning permission include a requirement for public reporting of the first five years of temperature and ecological data. The council has published the full report on its website and will accept written representations until 28 September.
