Decision delayed on £2.5bn Watford data centre
The case will come back to the committee at a later date
A decision on whether a £2.5 billion data centre in Watford can be built has been delayed.
Hertsmere Borough Council’s planning committee agreed on Thursday (November 5) to defer a decision on granting planning permission until the authority has negotiated a possible £2m contribution from the developer and has more information about its potential water usage.
Ark Data Centres wants to build the Hilfield Park data centre on the site of the former Mercure Hotel in Tylers Way.
The company said the development would unlock more than £2.5bn in private investment, add £372 million to the local economy every year and create 255 jobs.
Committee member Cllr Christian Gray questioned why there were only limited financial contributions to local infrastructure, and suggested the authority’s new Economic Development Strategy should be used to ask the developer for a £2m contribution towards “training, employment initiatives and economic development”.
“They want to be part of our community, they need to be investing in our youngsters,” he said. “This is a golden opportunity.”
Cllr Glenn Briski, meanwhile, wanted written confirmation from Affiny Water that it had sufficient supply to cater for the data centre.
The developer had said the data centre would use 12 times less water annually than the hotel had used, but committee member Cllr David Lambert suggested that figure was “not the truth”.
Cllr Lambert also raised concerns about the 36m (118ft) height of the building, and the impact on nearby Sandy Lane Caravan Park.
Cllr Maxie Allen said he could not support the project due to its height and the impact on the caravan park, and also said the view of it from the nearby Jewish cemetery would be “horrendous”.
Other councillors also criticised the expected view of the data centre from the cemetery, with Cllr Paul Morris describing it as “grotesque” and Cllr Natalie Susman saying it made her “want to cry”.
The case will return to the planning committee for a final decision at a later date.