Apple's new data centre in Ireland could be delayed by a further 18 months following a High Court bid made by local residents to prevent its construction.

Environmental concerns and claims that Apple are overestimating how many jobs the centre will create has led residents to attempt to block the construction.

Ireland's High Court has allowed leave for a full hearing of the application to block Apple. The hearing will take place on November 8th, and could heavily delay Apple's plans if a full judicial review is granted.

Not in my back yard

The proposed centre is set to cost Apple $925 million to build. It was given the go-ahead by the county's local planning board back in August 2016.

It will be used to store data from European users and help power services such as the iTunes and App Stores, and Apple's iMessage, Maps, and Siri services.

Construction is expected to be completed sometime in 2017. The new centre is also expected to create 150 jobs in the region.

[Source: Irish Times]