'Unethical' and 'irresponsible': Residents condemn plan for 130ft-high data centre next to Jewish cemetery that would use as much electricity as Sheffield A proposed 130ft-high data centre in Bushey, Hertfordshire, has sparked widespread condemnation from residents. The development, which would consume massive amounts of electricity and water, is set to be built on land adjacent to a historic Jewish cemetery and a traveller site, raising concerns about noise, privacy, and environmental impact. Plans to build a 130ft-high data centre that would overlook a Jewish cemetery and use the same amount of electricity as Sheffield have been condemned as 'unethical' and 'irresponsible' by residents. The huge AI warehouse in the London commuter town of Bushey in Hertfordshire is set to be built on the site of an 'irreplaceable' orchard and a former hotel, with neighbours facing up to a decade of construction work. It is expected to use up to 764million litres of water a year - the equivalent consumption of 15,000 people - and 1,900GWh of electricity, more than four times the amount currently consumed by homeowners and businesses in the borough.Jewish Cemetery Residents Condemn PlansOpposite the proposed site is a cemetery which holds some of the country's most esteemed Jewish figures, including the former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks. One resident, who did not want to be named but whose mother and grandparents are buried at the cemetery, told the Daily Mail that the planned data centre threatened to 'upend' the peaceful surroundings afforded at the site for grieving relatives.She said: 'The cemetery provides a place of solace and quiet reflection in a countryside setting. Many like to come here, say prayers and take a moment to remember their loved ones.'How can the council knowingly give the green light to a data centre so close to a cemetery? It's distressing and unethical.' Plans for the data centre include four towers which could rise to 130ft Developers have submitted plans to build a data centre on formerly green-belt land which would use electricity at a rate comparable to all of Sheffield Half the site is currently taken up by a former hotel which borders a traveller site (top right). Some residents there could be left living just metres from the data centre Staff at the cemetery - which held the first public burial of Holocaust victims in Britain in 2019 - told the Daily Mail they had concerns about their electricity supply.Traveller Site Faces Unacceptable HarmOn the other side of the proposed data centre is a traveller site, some of whose 200 residents will be just 15ft from the development. Gate, a charity which represents travellers, told the council that the data centre would bring 'unacceptable harm' to those living on the site, adding overall the project would 'undermine residents' quality of life, privacy and enjoyment of their homes'.Nearby homeowners told the Mail they were concerned about how the data centre would affect the area in terms of electricity, water, ambient noise and traffic disruption during construction. Greg Rogers, who lives in nearby Letchmore Heath, said it would be 'irresponsible' of the council to let the application proceed 'without due consideration of where the water and electricity will come from'.He added: 'The Government needs to take a step back and really consider what these (data centres) are going to be used for. If it's the defence of the realm then fine but if it's to ensure that Amazon will be able to target us better that is not OK.Locals Question Electricity and Water Supplies' Mr Rogers said the application was 'a huge irritant' but added: 'It's a worry because there doesn't seem to have been due consideration of how this is going to impact us. 'It seems like it is being rammed through for an agenda that is nothing to do with Hertsmere.' Bulldozers had arrived to demolish the existing vacant hotel when the Mail visited the site Janet Engels, of the Letchmore Heath Village Trust, said it was unclear from the plans whether consumers or businesses would be prioritised if the data centre put pressure on electricity or water supplies. 'This is going to use a huge amount of water,' she said.'The problem with that is we don't actually know what the legal position would be if we had a water shortage, which we have at the moment. 'We're all on those pipelines but what happens if a data centre contracts to take water from a supplier? Presumably, we residents are just customers: we either get it or we don't.' Speaking about the orchard which takes up more than half the site, Mrs Engels said the developers planned to 'strip it virtually bare'. The site had been earmarked for a now-expired application to build a warehouse, which had controversially given up the orchard for development, but Mrs Engels said the previous applicants 'were still leaving more greenery than these guys'.Orchard Destruction Threatens WildlifeJanet Engels said it was unclear who would be prioritised in the area if electricity ran short The towers are set to rise far above the level of the hotel Alison Rubinson, of the nearby Radlett Society and Green Belt Association, said the orchard was 'irreplaceable' and had been recognised as an important site for wildlife. She said the data centre would result in an 'unacceptable loss' of woodland and would mean the council had 'failed' to protect local wildlife.'Having lived in Radlett for 40 years I am annoyed at the opportunist developers for proposing this overbearing, inappropriate development,' she said. 'Residents' views do not seem to carry much weight any more. '