Overview
A contested application to construct two data centres near Cape Town, submitted by U.S.-listed Equinix, is facing a formal objection from community representatives and a UK-based nonprofit due to what they describe as inadequate environmental and resource-disclosure in the planning documents. The objection, filed with city planners, argues that officials lack essential information needed to judge the impacts of the development.
Scope of the proposal
The planned development comprises two large data centres with an estimated combined power demand of up to 160 megawatts, according to the application paperwork. The submission leaves several technical and environmental details unclear, including the type of back-up power generation proposed, the project's expected water consumption, and specific emissions and noise profiles associated with the sites.
Objections and concerns
The Housing Assembly (HA) - which represents more than 20 communities in the Western Cape - and UK non-profit Foxglove formally notified the city that they consider the application incomplete. They contend that without more substantive data on key issues, the municipality cannot appropriately evaluate environmental and public-resource impacts.
Rosa Curling, co-executive director at Foxglove, summarized the objection in explicit terms: "There is simply not enough information for a decision on a project of this scale, with no substantive detail on water use, emissions, electricity demand, diesel generators, air pollution, noise or even the buildings themselves."
Legal representation for local interests echoed the concern that the pace of data centre development may be outstripping deliberation. "There seems to be this rush to develop data centres without people properly thinking through what the impact will be," said Saadiyah Kwada, an attorney at the Legal Resources Centre in Cape Town.
Water and power context
Water demand is highlighted in the objection as especially sensitive given Cape Town's recent experience with severe drought during 2017-2018, an episode commonly referred to as the 'Day Zero' crisis when household taps were largely shut off as reservoirs fell to critically low levels. The objectors say that the project's water requirements should be clarified and assessed against local supply constraints.
Power requirements are similarly central to the dispute. Questions remain about whether back-up generation would rely on diesel or alternative sources, and how emissions and local air quality would be managed if diesel generators are proposed.
Responses and process
Equinix, which operates a facility in Johannesburg that it says has 100% renewable energy coverage, declined to comment on the formal objection. King David Golf Club, identified as the owner of King Air Industrial - the industrial site where the data centres are proposed - and the related developer, King Air Industrial (KAI), also declined to comment.
Under the planning timetable, Equinix and the landowner have 30 days to submit a response to the objection. After any response is filed, the City of Cape Town has up to 180 days to make a decision on the application.
A city official emphasized that the application remains under active review. Alderman Eddie Andrews, Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, said that the municipality will evaluate the application together with all comments and objections received from internal and external departments and interested parties. "The City cannot comment any further as this application is still being processed," he added.
Policy signal
At the national level, South Africa's government recently pledged measures designed to stimulate investment in digital infrastructure, including data centres, through tax incentives and policy reforms aimed at expanding connectivity and addressing regulatory barriers. The objectors' filing underscores the tension between national policy ambitions to grow digital capacity and local concerns over resource use, emissions and community impacts.
Next steps
The objection will form part of the city's record as it reviews the application. The developer and landowner's response, if filed within the 30-day window, will be considered alongside submissions from municipal departments and other stakeholders before the city reaches a final determination within the 180-day decision period.