Image from actonw3
Guest post by Olivia Law-Zygadlo
A major planning battle is brewing on the borders of Brent and Ealing that should concern every resident who cares about local democracy, corporate transparency, and the air we breathe.
This Friday, July 17th, residents from North Acton’s Wesley Estate will protest a proposed mega-data centre at the Frogmore Industrial Estate (NW10 7NQ). Modern data centres are notorious energy drains, requiring immense power grids and cooling systems that create persistent noise and strain local infrastructure. Residents are rightfully demanding that the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) enforce strict environmental protections and mandate transparent air quality monitoring from Brent and Ealing councils.
However, this local planning application highlights a broader national issue.
The CNI "Shield"
Increasingly, tech infrastructure operators are using Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) designation to bypass standard planning scrutiny. Since the government designated the UK data centre sector as CNI in September 2024, operators have leaned on this status to secure smoother planning treatment.
If planning authorities treat sector-wide CNI status as a reason to lower environmental scrutiny, it sets a dangerous precedent. When operators like Kao Data invoke "national security and vital infrastructure," they effectively create a against local accountability. Our message to the OPDC and the national government must be uniform: there should be no CNI-linked planning advantage without mandatory green standards. If the sector is critical enough to sit alongside water and energy providers, protecting local air quality and the climate must be a non-negotiable condition.
The Role of the OPDC and Cllr Matt Kelcher
Because this development sits within the multi-million-pound Park Royal regeneration zone, the ultimate planning and development authority does not rest with standard council planning boards. It rests with the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC).
This brings us to a familiar face in Brent politics: Councillor Matt Kelcher.
Not only is Cllr Kelcher Brent's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning, overseeing major local development portfolios, but he was a long-serving voting member of the OPDC Planning Committee, representing the interests of the London Borough of Brent, where portions of the OPDC boundary fall, during the critical early stages and milestone planning decisions for these major local developments
A key question from residents is whether Cllr Kelcher will declare and recuse himself from regeneration and planning decisions given his professional role at TheCityUK. While TheCityUK represents the financial and professional services sector rather than the data centre industry itself, its membership consists of the UK’s largest consumers of digital infrastructure, who rely heavily on data centres to manage risk, host digital services, and process high-volume financial transactions. Residents are asking whether this close alignment between his professional focus and the heavy reliance of his members on data capacity creates a perceived conflict of interest with his impartial responsibilities on the OPDC planning committee.
12 comments:
A key question for residents is whether guest author Olivia Law-Zygadlo (unelected Green Party candidate May 2026) trying to smear Matt Kelcher personally or just muddy the political waters in general? Kelcher is not a member of the OPDC Planning Committee, the last he attended was in March, the Brent representative is Cllr S Butt.
Councillor Kelcher is also a very prominent (and possibly founding member) of Labour YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) who's slogan is Build Baby Build, along with the never to be forgotten Baroness Shah of Towerblocks (previously known as the Chingford Parachutist, Towerblock Tatler).
When Starmer has gone, will Burnham cull the Labour Party of these representatives of the rich and powerful? Unfortunately it seems he may be cut from the same cloth as Starmer, we shall see.
This Kelcher person should have recused himself from the Planning Committee for all the decisions regarding larger developments where any party involved is connected to his employer client members. This would have meant most of the decisions that were being made. The conflicts must have been numerous, in addition to his well known, and published views on building at any cost. To now have this Commercial Lobbyist and self proclaimed champion of Build Baby Build as Brent's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning is very worrying and full of conflicts of interest. What a terrible decision by the Leader of Brent Council, perhaps he was professionally lobbied by someone?
Thank you. I have edited the article to acknowledge that Cllr Kelcher is no longer on the OPDC although a check on the OPDC website still gives him as a member of the board: https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/city-halls-partners/old-oak-and-park-royal-development-corporation-opdc/opdc-governance-board-and-committees/opdc-planning-committee Elsewhere Cllr Saqib Butt, brother of Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, is list as the Brent Rep. He is currently Chair of Brent Planning Committee.
Re the smear allegation, Olivia has responded: On Cllr Kelcher’s role at TheCityUK, I believe this point is a matter of official public record. This is not a smear, it is officially declared on Matt Kelcher’s own legally binding Brent Council Register of Interests. Where he explicitly lists his employment as Director, Public Affairs, TheCityUK. In the exact same document, he also declared a hospitality gift of a ticket to the Chelsea Flower Show from Pure DC (explicitly described in his declaration as a company which delivers data centres in London and beyond)
Given his dual responsibilities as Brent's lead cabinet member for regeneration and his active period on the OPDC committee, raising questions about these overlapping timelines is standard, fair public scrutiny of public-sector planning transparency.
Regarding the smear campaign, I am a local resident of North Acton in the London Borough of Ealing. Because the Park Royal development sits right on our borough boundary, Ealing residents are directly impacted by these planning decisions. I am not a Brent resident, I am not a Brent voter, and I have absolutely no interest in Brent Labour's internal political dynamics. My motivation in writing this piece is strictly as a local resident concerned with air quality, grid capacity, and planning accountability of a data centre planned to be built 10m in front of my flat building
Now we all wonder who you are Anon: 15 July 2026 at 08:22 Perhaps you are Cllr. Kelcher himself? Don't be shy :-)
Smear eh? Cat calling the kettle again? I think, in this case, the facts speak for themselves don't they, we do hope he enjoyed Chelsea Flower Show with the rich and famous he appears to aspire to be. Socialist?
This brings jobs and prosperity, i welcome it
if you’ve lost interest in Labour’s internal political dynamics Martin, then this is a loss to us all in brent
Dear Anon 15 July 2026 at 22:43 - you obviously don't understand economics, just like Kelcher and many other people who think they are socialists in the Labour party. Just who benefits? Yes, indeed, It brings prosperity for the developers, financiers etc and poverty for the ordinary people of Brent. Think before you join in with this trickle down theory. The only trickle down is the shyt that drops on the ordinary people.
What utter codswallop, jobs when building only. Then residents pay for it with excess heat and a water crisis.
1. If data centres only use fresh water to cool them because it is cheaper, they should use other methods. 2. They need to pay for and counted their impact on the environment. 3. This AI bubble is going to burst and it is well documented, in that sense it seems like a bad investment. If these companies aren't willing to be neighbourhood friendly, then there is no place for them imo. Good luck fighting the good fight Ealing and Brent!
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