A planning application for a major £250m data centre in Salford has been approved by the council.
The facility, set to feature 12,000 sq ft of offices, a 56,000 sq ft data hall and 63,500 sq ft of plant, is expected to create up to 20 new jobs.
Peel Waters is working with Digital Land & Development on the six-acre Halo West site near to the Salford Community Stadium, where Salford Reds rugby league and the Sale Sharks rugby union sides play.
The plans include a ‘green buffer’ to screen the data centre from nearby properties. Planting for wildlife is included in the plans.
“We’re really pleased that Salford City Council have recognised the need for this development at our Halo West site,” said Peter Linstead, development director for land and logistics at Peel Waters.
“Receiving unanimous approval from the planning committee demonstrates clear alignment between the public and private sector to bring forward innovative growth opportunities and deliver much-needed technological infrastructure within the region. We look forward to now the delivery of this development and the significant investment it will bring with it to the area.”
Johnny Conway, director at Digital Land & Development added: “Digital Land & Development are excited to be bringing the site forward for a next generation data centre as one of a number of projects across the UK, which given the increasing pace of data processing is driving the necessary requirement for the data centre facilities that house and support this need.
“We would like to thank Salford City Council for approving this development which will be crucial for the UK to maintain its position as a global leader in technology.”
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Philip Kaye, co-founder of Vespertec – a specialist in the design, configuration, logistics and support of high performance data centre infrastructure – hailed the plans.
“Greater Manchester has long been fertile ground for data centre companies to bloom. I’ve spent nearly two decades in the industry, watching Manchester slowly but surely grow into a fully mature hub for data centre technologies,” he said.
“I’ve never seen anything like the last 12 months, with growth in every direction and the eyes of the nation looking to places like Stockport and Salford for leadership on major digital infrastructure projects.
“Years of hard work from some of the country’s most visionary providers is now starting to bear fruit, and everywhere you look in Manchester, there’s a world-beating data centre project just around the corner: Kao broke ground on its new data centre in October, and recently the government announced plans to pilot a new heat reuse scheme in Stockport data centres.
“Gone are the days when areas like Greater Manchester were overlooked by the tech industry. We have the skills, the infrastructure, and an impressive track record with successful and innovative schemes.
“With local authorities now fully on board and in the know, nowhere is better placed to meet the skyrocketing demand for digital infrastructure and ensure that the future of the industry benefits everyone.”