A six-day public inquiry into plans for a 96MW data center in Hertfordshire, UK, will begin next month as the developer seeks to overturn a decision to block the campus from being built.
Greystoke Land’s plan to construct a two-building hyperscale campus totaling 84,000 sqm (904,170 sq ft) of data center space on Green Belt land off Bedmond Road, near Abbots Langley, was rejected by Three Rivers District Council in January.
However, the case has been reopened at the request of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who said shortly after taking office in July that she would be reviewing the decision, as well as looking at another rejected data center plan in Iver, Buckinghamshire.
The Planning Inspectorate has now set a date of October 8 for the opening of a public inquiry into the Abbot’s Langley scheme. This will run for up to six days, and hear from the applicant, Three Rivers Council, and those affected by the development. Rayner will have the final say after considering the inquiry’s findings.
Three Rivers rejected the plan for several reasons, one being that the site did not meet the stringent criteria required to build on the Green Belt. The inquiry will consider whether this is the case.
In January, planning officers also voiced environmental concerns about the size of the project, saying it would “result in significant demonstrable harm to the character and appearance of the area and the natural environment.”
For its part, Greystoke Land said at the time: “The UK needs large data centers to support economic growth and digital leadership. Building one here in Abbots Langley will bring hundreds of well-paid jobs to the area, £12m ($15.3m) investment in education and training, and a new country park.
“Failing to build here will mean employers and investors will look to Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Paris instead.”
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The new Labour government has said it wants to encourage more data center developments to bolster the UK economy, and is planning to open up parts of the Green Belt to spur housebuilding as well as industrial developments.
Earlier this week it designated data centers as Critical National Infrastructure, meaning they will enjoy the same status as utility companies and have access to additional government support in emergency situations.
