An application has been filed to develop a data center campus outside London in Iver.

Thorney Lane LLP has filed with South Bucks County Council for a proposed data center development comprising up to 90,000 sqm (968,750 sq ft) of floorspace at the Thorney Business Park on Thorney Lane, in North Iver, Buckinghamshire.

The proposal is for three data center buildings up to 25m tall.

Segro is possibly either partnering with, or the ultimate owner, of Thorney Lane LLP. The real estate giant is known to be developing data centers on an adjacent plot of land that is also part of the Thorney Lane Business Park.

First announced in 2022, the Segro Iver data center campus at Thorney Road Business Park will comprise three buildings offering 990,000 sq ft (92,000 sqm) of space. The company received the green light for the first three buildings earlier this year.

The 18.6-hectare site is located approximately 5 km east of Slough, near the M25 motorway. It is bound to the north by the Grand Union Canal, to the west by the remaining area of the Thorney Lane business park, to the east by Thorney Lane North, and to the south by the mainline railway. The site was used for gravel extraction until the 1960s when it was filled and used for industrial purposes.

Nestled between existing hotspots Slough and Hayes, Iver isn’t traditionally a major development area for data centers. However, Segro, CorScale, and Amazon are looking to develop data centers in the area.

Real estate firm Greystoke had been hoping to develop a data center campus in Iver but saw its proposals rejected twice. The application is now being reconsidered under the new Labour government.

CyrusOne refiles plans for Iver campus

This month also saw CyrusOne refile an application to develop a data center campus in Iver. After being updated in 2023 to include the requirements of the Ivers Neighbourhood Plan, the proposal was withdrawn in May 2024.

CyrusOne first filed for permission to redevelop the Shannon Group headquarters, located on Dromenagh Farm on Sevenhills Road into a data center campus known as the ‘Iver Heath Data Park’ project back in October 2022.

The original filing aimed to see the existing 5,850 sqm (7,000 sq ft) property redeveloped for up to 63,000 sqm (678,000 sq ft) of data center facilities in a plot of 16.59 hectares. The site will have 10 data halls across six buildings supporting around 90MW of capacity. The project would include a new on-site substation.

The refiled statements seem to follow a similar goal. The application notes the site would use outdoor air for ‘free’ cooling when external conditions are suitable.

The site currently consists of multiple large buildings, warehouses, workshops, offices, and hard standings. The Shannon Group also operates helicopters and a motor racing team from the site. Prior to the Shannon Group, the land was used as a construction, demolition, and logistics base for the previous 30 years.

Founded in 1994, the Shannon Group provides civil engineering, groundworks, and specialist construction services. The company has occupied the site for more than 20 years; a number of smaller companies also occupy smaller parts of the proposed site.

Part of the property has been occupied by Living Props, a manufacturer and supplier of living and artificial trees and fauna for the film industry, for more than 25 years. There are also two residential properties on the site. Part of the land was previously a landfill.

CyrusOne currently operates six ‘London’ data centers; four in Slough, one in Hayes, and another in Woking.