Green light for 'monster' data centre at former AkzoNobel site

A major new data centre will be built at the site of the former AkzoNobel paint factory despite councillors branding it a ‘monster’.

Slough Borough Council had originally targeted the site, in Wexham Road, for new affordable housing with planning permission secured for up to 1,000 homes.

But the cash-strapped local authority had to back out of the proposals due to its financial struggles and later sold the site in 2022 to Equinix in a deal worth more than £100million.

Equinix, one of the world’s largest global data centre providers, presented its plans for the site at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday (November 26).

The development is set to cover up to 90,614sqm, with three data centre blocks, ancillary offices, a substation as well as parking for future employees.

A £1.2bn capital investment will go towards redeveloping the previously contaminated site, councillors were told.

But councillors raised questions around how long the data centre would take to build and the significant height of the development.

Completing the development could take up to 20 years, but Slough planning officers said the plan is to finish it ‘a lot quicker’, potentially within 10 years.

Councillor Haqeeq Dar (Lib Dem, Upton Lea) said: “The height of [the development] is unacceptable. This [data centre] is a monster.

“It’s easy for us to approve [the development] now, but residents are going to live with it for maybe the next fifty or sixty years. The height needs to be reduced.”

Slough Council’s principal planning officer, Martin Cowie, recognised that the height of the data centre is significant.

But Mr Cowie said: “On balance, officers consider this to be acceptable, but we are not shying away from the fact that this is a substantial building, and it will have an impact on the local townscape.

“Weighing up the pros and cons [of the development], officer consider this to be appropriate.”

The general height of the data centre could reach between 29 and 34 meters high.

Cllr Dhruv Tomar (Con, Slough Central) also asked how the traffic coming to and from the site will be controlled.

Mr Cowie said: “Data centres don’t generate huge amounts of traffic; they’re not huge employers. This data centre is looking at employing potentially approximately 100 people. We’ll try to encourage employees to come in via public transport.

“We are looking to promote, given [the development’s] location, very sustainable forms of travel.”

A Section 106 agreement was also agreed, whereby a financial contribution will be made to mitigate the impact of the data centre on Slough.

This will include £2.5million towards improving public spaces in the area, and £568,000 for public transport improvements.

Slough's chief planning officer Daniel Ray added that the Government recognised data centres are critical national infrastructure with a ‘significant need’ for them.

Cllr Martin Carter (Lab, Northborough and Lynch Hill Valley) said: “What we’re actually talking about is an industrial site that has been lying flat for some time now. It looked messy before; it looks messy now.”

Cllr Carter said that in his ward, residents live close to other data centres, which don’t cause ‘much trouble’ once they are built.

But he added that measures should be put in place to control the sound pollution that will be generated from the Equinix data centre, with a ‘stable landscape’ surrounding the development.

Cllr Dar recommended the plans for refusal because of the proposed height, but this failed to gain the necessary votes.

Four councillors voted in favour of the development, with two votes against and one abstention.

A string of conditions must also be met, including submitting a construction and environmental management plan.