A new data centre next to the A127 in Wickford has been recommended for approval by planning experts at Basildon Borough Council.
The data centre would represent £1.3 billion pounds of investment in the borough, with £500 million spent on construction before another half a billion pounds worth of computer equipment is installed.
The land adjacent to the data centre would also become a new 34.5 acre nature reserve under the plans, expanding the Nevendon Wetlands and preserving the green gap between Basildon and Wickford.
The proposals also include:
- Over £1.8 million in s106 contribution, most of which (£1.3 million) will go towards employment, training and skills
- A voluntary contribution of a further £2 million to an Education Fund
The development will use an advanced ‘closed loop’ cooling system. This recirculates the same water instead of constantly drawing in fresh supplies, as happens with some older data centres. This is a far more sustainable way to keep the data centre cool without wasting water.
The Economic Development Team at Basildon Borough Council endorsed the proposals, writing, “The ED team is in support of the data centre development as it could serve as a catalyst for attracting high value, high tech businesses to the borough as well as offers opportunity for skills development and employment.”
Essex Chamber of Commerce has also written in support of the planning application, writing, “We believe this £1bn investment would be good for Basildon’s economy and good for the local businesses we represent… Typically, data centres support clusters of IT and tech companies as they establish local supply chains for goods and services, to the extent that for every direct job at a data centre up to five additional jobs may be supported in the wider economy.”
Councillors will make the final decision on the planning application on Thursday 25 September.
John Bourne from Caineal, who submitted the planning application for the new data centre, said, “With every family and business now connected to the internet, data centres are classified as critical national infrastructure because of their essential role in the UK’s economy.
“But there aren’t many locations where they can be located – they need direct access to fibre-optic connections and reliable power supplies, for example. Basildon could take advantage of its strategic location to become a powerhouse in the AI data economy.
“This data centre would not only directly create high-value employment opportunities locally, but it would also support wider job opportunities in finance, operations, sales, customer support and software engineering.”
