A government review of a local council’s decision to block a US-based company from building a hyperscale datacentre in Iver, Buckinghamshire, has concluded the project should proceed.
Buckinghamshire Council refused permission in November 2022 for US investment company Affinius Capital to proceed with its plans to redevelop an industrial estate in Court Lane, Iver, Buckinghamshire and build a 65,000m2 datacentre on the site instead.
The reason given by the council for the refusal is that the project would be an inappropriate use of Green Belt Land, which are protected pieces of land that are intended to prevent the onset of urban sprawl.
Shortly after coming to power in July 2024, the Labour government pledged to review the council’s decision to block the project in support of its strategy to stimulate the UK’s economic growth by accelerating the delivery of large-scale infrastructure projects.
The developer had raised an appeal against the council’s decision, and a month before the government’s intervention a public local inquiry was held over four days in June 2024.
Following a review of the council’s decision and the local inquiry, the government has now granted Affinius Capital permission to proceed with the project, with a letter dated 6 December 2024, outlining the reasons why.
The letter states that the decision to overturn Buckinghamshire Council’s decision to block the build was made by the minister of state for Housing and Planning Matthew Pennycook, on behalf of the secretary of state Angela Rayner.
“Weighing in favour of the proposal are the need for new datacentres, reduction in HGV movements, heritage benefits, reuse of previously developed land, and investment and job creation, which each carry significant weight,” the letter stated.
“Weighing against the proposal are harm to Green Belt, which carries substantial weight; harm to [a nearby] listed building, which carries great weight; and landscape harm and visual harm, which carries moderate weight.”
The letter also goes on to state that, in Rayner’s view, there are “very special circumstances to justify this development in the Green Belt”, adding: “The secretary of state therefore concludes that the appeal should be allowed and planning permission granted.”
The letter also states that the secretary of state’s decision on this matter can be challenged in the High Court, provided an application to do so is received within six weeks from the date of the letter.
Computer Weekly contacted Affinius Capital for comment on this story, but no response was received by the time of publication.
The Affinius Capital project was one of two datacentre developments the government placed under review in July 2024.
The other is being overseen by Oxford-based developer Greystoke Land, after its bid to build a £1bn datacentre in Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, was denied in January 2024. That decision is being appealed.
At the time of writing, Computer Weekly understands a decision at government level on whether that build will go ahead remains pending.