Amazon data centre plans approved
A new data centre is to be built for Amazon in Iver.
Amazon has won permission to build a huge data centre in Iver, complete with 27 backup generators, despite concerns about its impact on the surrounding landscape.
Buckinghamshire Council approved the plans by Amazon Data Services UK Limited for the Ridgeway Distribution Centre, on September 28.
The development would replace 17 industrial and warehouse units on the 7.3-hectare site.
Its main building would be about 20 metres high, with a lift overrun reaching 25.11 metres. The scheme also includes a substation, water tanks, a generator yard, security fencing and parking.
Planning officers acknowledged that the development would cause some harm to the surrounding landscape and the Colne Valley Regional Park.
However, they concluded that the need for data centres, employment benefits and an expected reduction in vehicle movements outweighed that harm.
Amazon’s planning documents estimate that the project could support up to 60 full-time jobs on site, alongside jobs during construction. The company also expects substantially fewer goods vehicle movements than under the site’s previous use.
The Ivers Parish Council neither supported nor objected to the application, but raised concerns about traffic and air quality. It asked for improvements to walking routes, including the canal path, and wanted low-emission vehicles to be used during construction.
The site is in an air quality management area. The council’s environmental health team said the backup generators would produce emissions during routine testing and maintenance.
Air-quality modelling predicted a negligible effect at the locations assessed, but officers said that did not mean the development would have no impact.
A legal agreement secures £600,382 towards projects to offset air pollution from the development. It also requires a plan for monitoring emissions from the generators.
Officers said Amazon had agreed to contribute £73,000 towards improvements to public rights of way near the site, encouraging staff to travel by means other than car.
The council’s highways team raised no objection to the plans, subject to conditions and the legal agreement.
The permission restricts routine testing of the generators to 7.30am–6pm on weekdays and 8am–1pm on Saturdays.
Before work or occupation reaches specified stages, the developer must also submit further details covering matters including construction traffic, drainage, water use and a travel plan.
The proposed generators would primarily use hydrotreated vegetable oil, with diesel as a backup fuel, according to the officer’s report.
Officers said the site is outside the green belt and would remain in employment use. They recommended approval after weighing the identified landscape harm against the scheme’s expected benefits.
Amazon submitted the plans in October 2025.