Plans to build one of the largest data centres in Europe near the M25 in Hertfordshire, just 30 minutes from central Harrow, look set to be approved this week.
Council officers said the centre, which has received government backing, could be used by companies such as Google, Amazon, or Microsoft.
They recommended that Hertsmere Borough Council’s planning committee votes to grant permission for the development at their meeting on Thursday (23 January).
The 187,000 square metre data centre, next to South Mimms service station, would cost £3.75bn to build, according to developer DC01UK.
While the site is within the green belt and not previously built on, council officers believe it should be classed as ‘grey belt’ because it does not “contribute strongly to any of the green belt purposes”. It is currently agricultural land.
Data centres are filled with servers that store digital information on the cloud.
While developers build the centres, the server space within them is usually rented by other companies.
Council officers said the site meets the “key requirements” for a data centre developer, including easy access to electricity and high-speed internet connections.
They judged that the centre—which could be up to 23 metres tall—would “harm” the green belt but that its benefits would outweigh that harm.
When the planning application for the site was submitted, science and technology secretary Peter Kyle said: “Data centres play an essential role in British society, housing some of our most important data from vital NHS records to sensitive financial information.
“This huge £3.75bn proposed investment is a vote of confidence in our plans to support the sector to thrive, ensuring everyone across society can feel the economic benefits of its growth.”
Last year, the Labour government added data centres to its list of ‘national critical infrastructure’, helping to protect them from cyber-attacks and power cuts.
Cllr Jeremy Newmark, leader of Hertsmere’s Labour-run council, has said it was “incredibly exciting” to see the planning application submitted.
He said: “It shows that Hertsmere is an extremely desirable location for business and is a natural base for the cutting-edge technology and critical infrastructure which will serve Britain in the coming years and for many future generations.”
Five hundred members of the public wrote to the council in support of the application, with 923 writing to object to it.
Many objections raised concerns about losing green belt land, which is directly next to the M25.
Developers say that data centres should ideally be located near major cities like London.
According to Hertsmere council officers, there are six existing data centres in southwest Hertfordshire, all located in Dacorum and all on a “relatively small scale.”
An application for a large data centre in Three Rivers was refused permission by the district council and is currently awaiting a final decision after being called in by the secretary of state.
The application being voted on this Thursday is for outline planning permission, with full details coming in future applications.
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