More than 400 people pack a Norfolk village hall to fight a data centre and solar farm bigger than Heathrow

The £25bn Longmarsh Green Energy project would occupy 4,700 acres of grade-one agricultural land across two locations south of King's Lynn, sweeping away some of England's finest wheat and barley fields to make way for AI-powering infrastructure. A petition against the scheme has amassed nearly 45,000 signatures in fewer than seven days, and the parish council has voted to seek professional legal advice before it responds to the developer's consultation.

Farmer James Kitchen, whose fields border the site, said he was "gobsmacked" to learn of the plans for his high-yielding Fens soil.

Campaigners from Stop Longmarsh Energy warn that the solar farm would still leave up to 85 per cent of the campus's electricity demand to be met by the national grid.

Developer EPL Norfolk says the campus is "critical for future UK economic growth" and has committed to siting the data centre at least 300 metres from homes.