Hundreds object to £3 billion M40 data centre plans in Buckinghamshire
Plans for a £3 billion data centre campus beside the M40 have taken another step forward amid opposition from more than 1,600 people.
US investment firm SDC Capital Partners has launched a second public consultation on updated proposals for land between Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross.
The SDC M40 Campus would redevelop a former mineral extraction and landfill site into a major data centre development.
It could contain up to three data centre buildings, an energy centre and other supporting infrastructure, with a total capacity of approximately 300MW.
However, a petition calling for the project to be stopped has so far attracted 1,646 signatures. Petition organiser Frankie Barrett, who lives less than a mile from the site, fears the development could increase traffic and noise and place further pressure on local infrastructure.
The petition also raises concerns about possible damage to wildlife, the environment and the character of communities surrounding Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield.
It calls for the proposed location to be reconsidered. SDC says it reviewed responses from its first consultation and worked with specialists to refine the proposals.
The company claims the campus would create hundreds of jobs, improve public footpaths and deliver a biodiversity net gain of at least 10 per cent.
An SDC spokesperson said: “The UK has an overwhelming need for new data centre capacity.
“With a potential investment value of £3bn, SDC M40 Campus would make a significant contribution to the local, regional and UK economy.
“Following our first stage of consultation last year, we’ve carefully reviewed all written feedback and worked with our expert project team to refine the proposals.”
The spokesperson said the latest consultation would allow residents to examine the updated plans and understand how the development had evolved.
Consultation documents will present different options for supplying the energy required to operate the campus.
These include an on-site energy centre followed by a future National Grid connection, or a direct connection to existing 400kV overhead power lines.
Documents submitted to the government earlier this year described the proposed on-site energy centre as a gas-turbine facility with a generating capacity of approximately 270MW to 350MW, using an existing gas pipeline at the site.
However, the latest consultation presents the energy centre as one of two possible power scenarios, alongside a direct connection to the overhead electricity lines.
SDC says the project could potentially connect to the National Grid by 2040. The development is being treated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project.
Its application would therefore be examined by the Planning Inspectorate and decided by the Secretary of State, rather than Buckinghamshire Council.
Residents can attend consultation events at Gerrards Cross Guide Hall on September 24 and Hedgerley Memorial Hall on September 26.
An online event will follow on September 29. Details about the consultation and how people can submit their views are available on the project’s official website. The six-week consultation closes at 11.59pm on Tuesday, October 27.