A 66,300 sq ft data centre has been approved by the Salford city council.

Digital Land & Development, working in partnership with landowner Peel Waters, has secured consent to erect a 66,300 sq ft data centre at the former White’s reclamation site off Liverpool Road.

Located on a 6.3-acre site, the TTSP-designed data centre will comprise 56,000 sq ft of floorspace for digital infrastructure and 12,000 sq ft of ancillary office space. Plans indicate there will be 17 car parking spaces at the centre.

The site in question currently hosts a scrap yard and motor garage. The site was vacated in 2015, and since then only part remediation has been undertaken.

The data centre consists of large open data halls accommodating the processing server racks which are the “heart of the facility, together with mechanical and electrical plant accommodation, risers’ circulation, and storage space.”

The proposed data centre building has been pushed towards the rear of the site to ensure that it does not project past the front elevations of the residential properties to the site’s east.

The facility is adjoined directly by the front-of-house amenities, including reception, security, operations, office spaces, welfare facilities, and delivery zones.

Last year, Peel Waters was granted planning permission for a 110,000 sq ft industrial scheme on the same site.

Peter Linstead, development director for land and logistics at Peel Waters, said: “We’re really pleased that Salford City Council have recognised the need for this development at our Halo West site.

“Receiving unanimous approval from the planning committee demonstrates a clear alignment between the public and private sector to bring forward innovative growth opportunities and deliver much-needed technological infrastructure within the region.”

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.”

Firms that contributed to the scheme include WSP, Exterior Architecture, BWB, Graphite, E3P, SKYA, Proximity, and Shepherd Gilmour Consulting Engineers. To learn more, search for reference number PA/2024/1810 on Salford City Council’s planning portal.