Planning consent secured for £750m hyperscale data centre

Author: Carly Weller

Legal & General, specialist digital infrastructure investment firm Goldacre, and data centre development partner sineQN, have announced that planning has been approved for a £750m sustainable, urban hyperscale data centre investment located in the London Borough of Newham.

The development is expected to contribute £88 million to Newham’s GVA (gross value added), creating over 1,000 skilled jobs during the construction and operation phases, and is targeted to attract 500 high-growth data businesses to the Borough. The consortium brings together their digital infrastructure experience and expertise to this new and independent project.

The data centre represents a significant investment and contribution to further regeneration in Newham, where L&G has already provided over £550 million to the development of high quality and multi-sectoral regeneration projects, delivering housing and public realm as well as economic benefits such as job creation.

Driven by increased demand from the digitalisation of society, including cloud migration and AI, growth in data storage and processing continues to accelerate. This partnership supports the growth in data capacity in Europe’s largest and tightest market, whilst aiming to deliver critical infrastructure that is both commercially attractive and addresses social and environmental needs. The proposed development will deliver 80 megawatts of IT power by early 2027, and has the flexibility to deliver all workloads, including AI, in a secure, sustainable location just over 500m from the London Internet Exchange (LINX).

The data centre has the potential to be a heat source for thousands of homes in Newham and will aim to help the Council fulfil its net zero ambitions. The scheme will also provide significant environmental and public realm improvements along Bidder Street and connecting walkways along the Lower Lea Valley, from Canning Town to Stratford.

Matteo Colombo, Managing Director of Digital Infrastructure, Asset Management, Legal & General says, “This data centre signals our continued support for the Borough through the provision of catalytic capital to develop vital assets and boost productivity in this vibrant part of London.”

David Bloom, Founder & CEO, Goldacre says, “The planning approval marks a significant milestone, not only for Newham but for London’s broader digital infrastructure. As demand for data capacity continues to grow exponentially, this development reinforces the capital’s position as a global hub for innovation and technology. At Goldacre, we are committed to advancing the future of digital infrastructure, and this project exemplifies our dedication to innovative and forward-thinking solutions that meet the evolving needs of the digital economy. It has been over a decade since we invested in our first data centre, and we have gone on to make a number of successful investments in this space, with Newham as the latest addition. Both the sector and the processes involved have experienced a coming of age, there could not be a better time to invest in data centres.”