Datacenter builds could be shielded from judicial review in UK planning reforms
The UK government is considering reforms to planning regulations that would protect datacenter projects from judicial review. This move aims to expedite critical energy and infrastructure developments, which have faced delays due to legal challenges. While some support the reforms for promoting growth and energy security, there is growing public opposition to the increasing number of datacenters being built.
- ▪The UK government plans to shield critical infrastructure projects from judicial review to prevent delays.
- ▪Chancellor Rachel Reeves is preparing to unveil reforms that would allow Parliament to designate key projects as having critical national importance.
- ▪Datacenters have previously been categorized as Critical National Infrastructure, allowing authorities to override local opposition.
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| Original publisher | www.theregister.com - Articles |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theregister.com/systems/2026/05/20/datacenter-builds-could-be-shielded-from-judicial-review-in-uk-planning-reforms/5243354 |
| Publication time | Wed, 20 May 2026 14:49:37 +0200 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-20T13:10:02.546Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-20T13:57:17.657Z |
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| Summary | WeSearch · cerebras-chat (WeSearch summarizer) |
| Summary source text | contentText |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
(function() { let windowUrl = window.location.href; windowUrl = windowUrl.substring(windowUrl.indexOf('?') + 1); let messageElement = document.querySelector('.shareableMessage'); if (windowUrl && windowUrl.includes('code') && windowUrl.includes('expires')) { messageElement.style.display = 'block'; } })(); Systems Datacenter builds could be shielded from judicial review in UK planning reforms British government wants to ensure no hold-ups for critical energy and infrastructure projects Dan Robinson Dan Robinson Published wed 20 May 2026 // 13:49 UTC The UK government may move to forestall objections to datacenter projects via an overhaul of planning regulations that would shield critical energy and infrastructure buildouts from legal challenges.Finance minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer…
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