Grid Bottleneck: Datacentres vs Housing in London's Planning Reckoning

UK housing secretary Steve Reed will decide by 17 August whether to permit a 5.2MW AI datacentre on Brick Lane, east London—a decision elevated to national significance after Tower Hamlets council rejected it in 2025. A London Assembly report warns that rapid datacentre expansion is already delaying housing developments due to grid constraints. The Brick Lane case tests whether planning will prioritize residential electrification and housing supply against finance-sector infrastructure demand.