Rejected data centre gets approval after appeal

Rejected plans to build a data centre on green belt land have been approved by the housing secretary after an appeal.

Angela Rayner stepped in to push through Affinius Capital's proposals for the 65,000 sq m (700,000 sq ft) site at the Court Lane Industrial Estate in Iver, Buckinghamshire.

The deputy prime minister's decision overturns Buckinghamshire Council's decision to refuse the plans in October last year.

The site earmarked for the data centre, currently of mixed industrial use, is east of the M25 and bordered by the Grand Union Canal, as well as sewage and water treatment works.

The decision to approve the site was made on Rayner's behalf by housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook, according to Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Published earlier this month, the judgement cites economic reasons, including the creation of 200 construction jobs, with a further 90 to operate the site once open, as among the justifications for the new tech hub.

Data centres are huge warehouses full of computers, supporting services like artificial intelligence (AI) and streaming.

In September, the new Labour government designated them as "critical national infrastructure", giving them the same importance and protections as water, energy and emergency services.

Pennycook acknowledged the proposed Iver data centre conflicted with green belt policy but said the factors in favour of the proposal included the need for new data centres, the re-use of previously developed land and investment and job creation.