EXCLUSIVEGoogle is Çѵõing our lives: µï½»¡Ê¼Ô¡Ës living next to tech µðÂç¡Ê¤Ê¡Ë's ¡ò790m data centre in Hertfordshire ¡Ê¿ÍÌ¿¤Ê¤É¤ò¡ËÃ¥¤¦¡¤¼çÄ¥¤¹¤ë it is making them ill and knocking thousands off their house prices as they say they don't want 'US tech geeks' for ÎÙ¿Ís!
- Construction on the 33-acre ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ that used to be fields?began in January
- Rishi Sunak has ¤¢¤é¤ì¡¿¾Þ»¿¤¹¤ëd the »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë as a 'ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë ¿®Ç¤Åêɼ' for Britain
- ?The data centre is »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ë to bring ¿¦¶Ès to Waltham Cross for years to come
µï½»¡Ê¼Ô¡Ës living next to Google's ¡ò790million data centre ¡Ê¿ÍÌ¿¤Ê¤É¤ò¡ËÃ¥¤¦¡¤¼çÄ¥¤¹¤ë it is making them ill, Çѵõing their lives and taking thousands off their house prices.
Construction of the Â絬ÌÏ¤Ê internet »ÜÀß on the 33-acre ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ - which used to be fields - in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire began in January and left Ãϸµ¤Îs furious.
The »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë - dubbed the 'Silicon Valley of Hertfordshire' - has won ¾Þ»¿¤¹¤ë from Rishi Sunak?who ¤¢¤é¤ì¡¿¾Þ»¿¤¹¤ëd the move as a 'ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë ¿®Ç¤Åêɼ' for Britain, with the company ¸øÌ󤹤ëing the centre will support the ²ñ¼Ò¡¿·ø¤¤'s AI ǽÎÏs.
The data centre will ÎÏ¡¿¶¯ÎϤˤ¹¤ë services such as ÃÏ¿Þ¡¿·×²è¤¹¤ës and Cl oud and create ¿¦¶Ès in the area north of London for years to come.?
It is the tech µðÂç¡Ê¤Ê¡Ë's first major data centre in the UK and means when you use Google search, your ÁõÃÖ will likely be ²ò¸Û¤¹¤ë¡¿Ë¤²Ð¡¿¼Í·âing 0s and 1s to Waltham Cross.?
But Ãϸµ¤Îs say they are moving as a result and have complained construction noise is keeping them awake and that the »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë is Çѵõing once pleasant ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës.
Construction of the Â絬ÌÏ¤Ê data centre began in January on the 33-acre ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ in Waltham Cross
Google have said they ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë to finish construction of the data centre by 2025
Pamela Barnett, 61, who has lived at her ½êÍʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º within 200 yards of the ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ for 13 years, said the »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë is 'awful'
Picture shows a ½»Â𠹤¤ÃϽê next to the construction ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ with some houses only feet away?
Dionne Brown, 44, who lives 20 yards from the ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ, said: 'It used to be amazing here. That's why I moved six years ago. It was Ê¿ÏÂŪ¤Ê, you could hear the birds sing and it was lovely.
'The ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës were ÁÇÀ²¤é¤·¤¤ and it was like ¸ºß in the countryside. Now it's appalling.
'It makes me upset. Google can just come in and do what they want and nobody cares about us. There's no Íø±×s to Ãϸµ¤Îs, other than Çѵõing our ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës and noise all hours of the day.'
The ½êÍʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º ·Ð±Ä¼Ô¡¿»ÙÇÛ¿Í said she now has to have her windows shut all day because of the 'constant noise', making it 'hell' in warm Å·¸õ.
Ms Brown also said she believes her and her child may have fallen ill because of it.
She said: 'My boy has had a really bad chesty cough for about four weeks. I am sure it has got something to do with it.
'It seems such a coincidence.'
Another man, who has lived opposite for 70 years, said he 'detested' the »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë.
He said: 'I cannot stand it. I cannot have my windows open. It has Çѵõd everything.
'If they are so committed to the ´Ä¶, then why have they done this? Why not turn it into a vegetable field??
'Then seasonal, and I mean seasonal, vegetables could be grown instead. We're just pawns in a much bigger game at play here.
'This is not England anymore. I was born in Britain but I do not feel this is Britain anymore. I don't mean °Ü̱¡¿°Ü½». I mean globalisation.
Dionne Brown, 44, (pictured) who lives 20 yards from the ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ, said she believes it made her son ill
Ãϸµ¤Î µï½»¡Ê¼Ô¡Ës have complained of construction noise keeping them awake. Picture shows ¼Î¤Æ¤ë ¥È¥é¥Ã¥¯¤Ç±¿¤Ös and diggers at work on the ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ
An architect's impression of how the data centre will look from across the New River
Picture shows the data centre ¸ºß ·úÀߤ¹¤ëd from across the New River
Ms Brown said it is 'hell' in hot Å·¸õ because she has to keep her windows ¤Î¶á¤¯¤Ëd because of the noise
'We're slaves for big ¾¦Çä¡¿»Å»ö and big ²ñ¼Ò¡¿ÃÄÂÎs. We live in a globalised world. It's insane.'
The µï½»¡Ê¼Ô¡Ë Äɲ乤ëd that the »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë was an example of Britain losing its 'fabric'.
He said: 'We have been ¥Ï¥¤¥¸¥ã¥Ã¥¯¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd. It's all about ÎÏ¡¿¶¯ÎϤˤ¹¤ë. We have no ÎÏ¡¿¶¯ÎϤˤ¹¤ë. We don't care. I have lived here for 70 years, that does not bother them.
'They care about Íø±×¡Ê¤ò¤¢¤²¤ë¡Ë and god knows what else. I should have been listened to.
'½¡¶µ is dead in this country. It's just ¾¦Çä¡¿»Å»ö. And the noise is terrible.'
Roger Sullivan, 44, said he was moving out of Waltham Cross because of the data centre.
The engineer said: 'It's a nightmare. It'll Çѵõ our house prices. It was such an »ñ»º, a lovely green and pleasant land. Now it is all »º¶È.
'I cannot see why they would be Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£d in ¸Û¤¦ing Ãϸµ¤Îs. It'll all be US tech geeks.
'We'll get lost and have to put up with all of the ¾Ã¶ËŪ¤Ê ÌÌs of it all.'
Pamela Barnett, 61, who has lived at her ½êÍʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º within 200 yards of the ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ for 13 years, said the »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë is 'hated Ãϸµ¤Ç'.
Pamela Barnett (pictured) said the »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë is 'hate Ãϸµ¤Ç' and ¼¨º¶¤¹¤ëd the community was ¸ºß 'Áª¤Öd on'
The Hertfordshire data centre (pictured) will be Google's first in the UK and will create ¿¦¶Ès in the area for years to come
Google bought the land called Maxwell's Farm West in 2020 and ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë to finish construction by 2025
Picture shows an architect's impression of the finished data centre north of London
She said: 'I'm from Doncaster ½é¤á¤Ï, and I don't want to sound like a moaning northerner, but it's awful.
'It's dreadful. Why there? There's other green space nowhere ¶á¤Å¤¯ µï½»¡Ê¼Ô¡Ës which could have been chosen.
'We have been Áª¤Öd on. I moved here for peace and ÀŤ«¤Ê. Now it's just noise, noise, noise. It won't Íø±× me. It won't Íø±× Ãϸµ¤Îs. But we do not care.'
Google acquired the land called Maxwell's Farm West in 2020 and they ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë to finish construction in 2025.
Mr Sunak said of the »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë: 'Google have ȯɽ¤¹¤ëd a ¤½¤Î¾å¤Î $ 1 billion Åê»ñ to open a new data centre in Hertfordshire.?
'It's a ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë ¿®Ç¤Åêɼ in the UK as the largest tech economy in Europe, bringing with it good ¿¦¶Ès and the ÁÈ¿¥¡¿´ðÈס¿²¼Éô¹½Â¤ needed to support British ¾¦Çä¡¿»Å»ö.'
A Google spokesperson said: 'Our $1 billion Åê»ñ in Waltham Cross will help bring ·èÄêŪ¤Ê ·×»»¤¹¤ë capacity to the UK, supporting British ¾¦Çä¡¿»Å»ös and people using Google services.?
'We¡Çre committed to ¸ºß active members of the community and partnering closely with Ãϸµ¤Î leaders to meaningfully Í¿¤¨¤ë¡¿Êû¤²¤ë to their Í¥Àès.'