DC01UK’s plan to build ‘Europe’s biggest AI datacentre’ wins local council approval

£3.75bn Hyperscale Datacentre Approved for Development in Hertfordshire

A plan to build a £3.75bn hyperscale datacentre on green belt land near the South Mimms Service Station in Hertfordshire has been given the green light by local authorities, despite facing over 900 objections.

The project is being spearheaded by DC01UK, a development company that submitted an outline planning permission application to Hertsmere Borough Council in September 2024.

The council has now approved DC01UK’s application, signaling its acceptance of the company’s plans for the site in principle. This decision comes after 929 objections and 503 expressions of support were received regarding the project.

“We are grateful to Hertsmere Borough Council for their support of DC01UK’s plans. They share our vision for the project and the local area, recognizing the potential for economic growth, job creation, and improved opportunities,” said a spokesperson for DC01UK.

The proposed datacentre aims to position Hertfordshire at the forefront of the datacentre industry, with projections of generating £3.75bn during construction and creating nearly 14,000 indirect jobs once operational.

While DC01UK is not currently a datacentre operator, the company intends to market the site as a potential location for a hyperscale datacentre following the approval of outline planning permission.

Several parties have already expressed interest in collaborating with DC01UK to develop a hyperscale datacentre on the site, tailored to their specific requirements. DC01UK envisions the completed facility to be Europe’s largest cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) datacentre.

The approval of the datacentre project aligns with the government’s AI opportunities action plan, aimed at promoting the widespread adoption of AI technologies across the UK. In support of this initiative, the government plans to facilitate the development of AI-ready compute capacity by easing planning restrictions on new datacentre constructions.

Telecoms Minister Chris Bryant MP emphasized the importance of datacentres in the modern era, describing them as essential infrastructure for society. He highlighted the role of datacentres in driving economic growth and job creation in the south-east region.

Stephen Beard, head of datacentres at Knight Frank, a real estate advisory firm involved in the project, hailed the datacentre development as groundbreaking. He noted that the facility will cater to the increasing demand for cloud services and AI capabilities, positioning the UK as a key player in digital infrastructure.