Construction of £3bn data centre approved

Construction of one of Europe’s largest data centres has been given the green light, with a price tag of £3 billion. 

Hundreds of “well-paid” jobs will be created according to North Lincolnshire Council leader Rob Waltham, adding “more will be employed during the construction phase”. 

“This will mean residents from our area who usually need to move to the city to access this type of work will now be able to access these well-paid jobs in the technology sector on their doorstep,” said Waltham. 

The plans, submitted by Humber Tech Park Limited in May, are for a new 386MW facility on a 76-hectare site near the A180 south of South Killingholme, close to the Humber estuary. 

The new data centre is believed to be distributed across a more than 3.3 million sq. ft footprint including three large buildings and offices and aims to make the area a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

According to the BBC, other features include: 

• generators 

• electricity substation 

• car parking  

• horticultural glass house 

Construction traffic will be routed north from the Habrough Road site entrance onto the strategic road network (A160 and A180).  

Once the data centre is built, vehicle movements will be “extremely low”, Humber Tech Park said.  

“Humber Tech Park means as much as £3 billion coming to the area in foreign direct investment,” said developers. 

Waltham added: “The development will see investment in community infrastructure and money for local education and training.  

“Biodiversity would also be improved with landscaping, tree planting and ponds.” 

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