Greystoke Land, an investment firm, has faced a setback in its efforts to develop a datacentre on Green Belt land in Iver, Buckinghamshire. This marks the second time their proposal has been rejected by Buckinghamshire Council.
The company sought permission in March 2024 to build a datacentre spanning up to 72,000m2 on a former landfill site adjacent to the M25 motorway. However, documents uploaded to the council’s planning portal on June 25, 2024, confirm that the application was denied. The council cited concerns that the development would compromise the openness of the Green Belt and detract from the area’s character and appearance.
The council’s decision emphasized that the proposed datacentre would constitute an inappropriate use of Green Belt land, a designation intended to protect natural and open spaces.
Despite arguments by Greystoke Land and its development partner, Pegasus Group, highlighting the urgent regional need for datacentre infrastructure, the council found that these considerations did not outweigh the detrimental impacts on the Green Belt.
Greystoke Land’s Proposal for Datacentre on Green Belt Land Rejected Again by Buckinghamshire Council
This latest refusal mirrors a previous rejection in September 2022, when an earlier, larger-scale proposal by Greystoke Land was similarly turned down by the council and later dismissed on appeal by the secretary of state, also on Green Belt protection grounds.
The current proposal was adjusted to address previous criticisms, reducing the scale and impact of the development. Nevertheless, the council remained firm in its stance against approving development that could harm the integrity of the Green Belt.
Greystoke Land now has the option to appeal the decision once again, potentially escalating the dispute to the secretary of state. The company’s response to this latest setback remains unclear, as they have not yet publicly indicated whether they will pursue an appeal.
The outcome of their decision could influence broader policy discussions, as the case has drawn attention to the balance between infrastructure development needs and environmental preservation in sensitive areas like the Green Belt.
