Data Centre Watch Updated 23 October 2026, 17:16 UTC
Data Centre Watch
The local fight over one field is one row in a national rush. This is a rolling, fully sourced record of what changed — the schemes, the planning decisions, the power and water, and the wider world picture.
days under a hosepipe ban
Under a hosepipe ban for 106 days — since 10 July 2026 (as of 23 October 2026).
Affinity Water — Central region (incl. WD5), extended to the East region
11 areas in drought, parts of 4 in severe · reservoirs 54% · the water picture →
Latest
8 entries matching · showing 1–8
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Era4's Newport steelworks campus targets 1GW
Era4 has set out details of The Mill, on the former Liberty Steel site in Newport: 230 acres, ultimately up to 1GW and as many as 400,000 Nvidia Vera Rubin GPUs, with the first stage — modular units inside existing buildings — due online next year. Planning permission was granted in April. The company says power will be a mix under long-term contracts that does not affect local communities or industry, and that cooling will be closed-loop to keep water use to a minimum.
Why it matters: Brownfield reuse and a gigawatt of new demand on a Welsh connection — the shape of the next wave, and a test of whether 'responsibly sourced' survives contact with the grid queue.
Source: Data Center Dynamics [V]
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Canterbury approves a landfill-gas data centre
Canterbury City Council has approved Era4's data centre at the Shelford landfill site, powered by a private-wire connection to the neighbouring Valencia Energy Centre, which burns methane captured from the landfill. It draws around 140MWh a day at full use (~5.8MW continuous) — within the energy centre's average daily output — with South East Water capping water use at 20 cubic metres a day. It is part of an Era4/Valencia plan for eight landfill-gas data centres.
Why it matters: The power source is the waste next door — a rare scheme whose energy is already on site.
Source: Data Centre Review [C]
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Leeds approves Microsoft's £4bn Skelton Grange campus — against a 44,000-signature petition
Leeds City Council granted permission for Microsoft's complex on the former Skelton Grange power station (three data halls plus a warehouse) despite a petition of more than 44,000 signatures; the West Yorkshire Mayor defends it on economic grounds while the Green group raises water and energy concerns.
Why it matters: A brownfield site near renewables — the profile campaigners say they want — was still contested. Consent and consent-to-the-locals are different things.
Source: Armason weekly [C]
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Redhill data centre approved on condition it tries to heat nearby homes
Reigate & Banstead approved Castleforge/Galaxy's two-storey data centre at Foxboro Business Park only on condition (25) that a waste-heat export feasibility study for the adjacent Park 25 heat network is done before construction — and, if viable, connected from first operation. The study is due this November. Councillors pushed to strengthen the condition because the current one stops short of a guaranteed commitment.
Why it matters: A real planning test of whether waste heat goes to homes — not just a promise in a brochure.
Source: Inside Housing / Reigate & Banstead [C]
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£1bn Wickford site: surveyors in, still no power date
A year after approval, surveyors appear on Caineal's A127 site — but no construction start or grid date is confirmed, days after the Nscale grid-delay story.
Why it matters: Consent is not delivery: a consented site with no published power date.
Source: Resultsense / Echo [C]
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Amazon's Iver data centre approved with 27 backup generators
Buckinghamshire Council approved Amazon's redevelopment of the 7.3-ha Ridgeway site, accepting landscape harm to the Colne Valley Regional Park in exchange for 'need' and employment.
Why it matters: Backup diesel on green-belt edge, approved on need — the same trade-off as Abbots.
Source: Bucks Herald [V]
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Nscale's £2bn Essex site has planning, a tenant — and no power until the 2030s
Nscale's Loughton campus has permission, Microsoft as anchor tenant and a 90MW connection agreement, but UK Power Networks has reportedly said the grid cannot deliver enough electricity until the early-to-mid 2030s — the 2027 opening is gone.
Why it matters: The clearest UK example yet of power, not planning, deciding when a project opens.
Source: The Guardian / Bricks & Bytes [C]
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Minister approves a Brick Lane data centre and offices over the council's objection
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook granted Truman Estates' four recovered appeals for the area around Brick Lane — offices, a cinema, market, 44 homes (six social rent) and a 5.2MW data centre at 47 Grey Eagle Street — over Tower Hamlets' opposition and its draft Local Plan's 800-home earmarking, given 'limited weight' as unexamined. Campaigners cite a 30,000-household waiting list.
Why it matters: The planning balance in practice: a data centre approved on land a council wanted for homes — because a minister, not the borough, made the call.
Source: MHCLG decision / BBC [V]
Watchlist — what lands next
| What | State | When |
|---|---|---|
| Data-centre National Policy Statement (NPS) | Still unpublished; projects already being directed into the NSIP regime without it. | Expected 'shortly after' the Jan 2026 regulations |
| Ofgem 'Curate' data-centre connection reform | Consultation closed 17 Sep 2026; decision pending — commitment fee £237,500–£712,500/MW. | Decision later in 2026 |
| Scotland — hyperscale planning guidance | Parliament agreed no decisions on hyperscale applications until guidance is published. | Guidance expected by December 2026 |
| Draft London Plan — data-centre policy GLE3 | Consultation closed 15 October 2026; responses under consideration. | Next draft / adoption pending |
| National Scheme of Delegation for planning functions (SI 2026/854) | Standardises which applications go to officers vs committee; non-compliant committee decisions open to judicial review. | In force 31 October 2026 |
| EU data-centre standards and rating scheme | Commission has adopted a data-centre sustainability rating scheme; consultation on minimum performance standards remains open. | Consultation closes 14 December 2026 |
| Environmental Audit Committee report (HC 22) | Inquiry 'Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK'; report + government response due. | Awaiting publication |
| Three Rivers Local Plan examination | Plan submitted; examination in H1 2027, adoption targeted Sep 2027. | Submission 30 November 2026 |
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Fully sourced, no invented numbers
Every entry names its source and how it is known — verified, a designated claim, our calculation, or a gap. Where a claim is contested, we say so. See all reports & explainers →