Decision on Athenry €850m data centre postponed
A final decision on plans by Apple to construct an €850 million data centre in Athenry has been postponed until mid-October. A decision is expected soon, however the Courts Service has confirmed that the case would not now be heard until October 12th.
An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the development of the Galway centre last year but the project is the subject of a judicial review on environmental grounds following appeals by local residents and a landowner.
Claims have been made that the permission is invalid on grounds including that An Bord Pleanála failed to carry out a proper environmental impact assessment of the proposed development at Derrydonnell on the outskirts of Athenry.
Apple unveiled plans to build the centre in February 2015 on the same day it unveiled plans for another facility in Denmark. The tech giant has now finished the Danish project, while the Co Galway site has still to get the green light.
Earlier this month Apple announced plans to build a second data centre in the country. It also said last week it intends to build its first data centre in China in the southern province of Guizhou.
