Corsham data centre decision delayed until next month
Ark Data Centres say the facility would support growing demand for data storage driven by AI and streaming services
A decision on whether a huge data centre can be built on the outskirts of a Wiltshire village has been delayed until next month.
Members of Wiltshire Council’s strategic planning committee were due to deliberate on plans from Corsham-headquartered Ark Data Centres before Christmas.
But a last-minute interjection by local campaigners put a temporary halt on the planning application’s journey through the system.
With just 24 hours’ notice, the applicants were advised that deliberation would be postponed until “January, or at the latest February.”
The company was furious, with chief revenue officer Rob Silvester lambasting the council for the delay.
Now, the January meeting of the strategic planning committee has been cancelled. Wiltshire Council has confirmed that the matter will be dealt with in February, but has not given any reason for the hold-up.
Ark Data Centres said it was aware of the latest postponement, but did not want to make any further comment.
If given the go-ahead, the applicant will construct a £300 million five-storey facility at its Spring Park Campus near Corsham.
The company says the data centre will help meet soaring demand for data storage, related in a large part to the public’s adoption of AI, cloud storage, and streaming services.
Its clients include businesses including telecoms firms, banks, and video streaming services, and the government.