Planning permission sought for UK’s largest AI datacentre campus

Positive sign

Council leader Rob Waltham said the proposed project is “another positive sign of confidence in our economy and in North Lincolnshire as a place to do business”.

“It’s further evidence that the work we are doing to enable growth and create the conditions for private investment is delivering real results and better-paid jobs for our communities,” he said.

As previously reported by Computer Weekly, the government has received hundreds of bids from local authorities across the UK that want their areas to become home to AI Growth Zones.

As detailed in the UK government’s January 2025 AI opportunities action plan policy paper, the plan is to create AI Growth Zones in de-industrialised parts of the country that can be readily redeveloped and have “enhanced access to power and support for planning approvals” so these developments can be fast-tracked.

This is in support of the government’s push to position the UK as an “AI superpower”, and make the use of AI technologies and services more pervasive across the UK.

Furthermore, the government has specified that sites must have access to power connections of at least 500mW, or local authorities must have a clear plan in place to demonstrate how they would generate that amount of power, to have their AI growth zone bids considered.

The project is being overseen datacentre developer Greystoke, and a newly created company, trading as Elsham Tech Park, has been set up to front it.

Two of its directors – Sam Matthew and Nick Aldridge – are also actively involved in another Greystoke datacentre development in the region, known as Humber Tech Park, as confirmed by Companies House.

In a statement, published on the North Lincolnshire Council website in February 2025, Matthew – who also serves as chief operating officer at Greystoke – talked up the benefits acquiring AI Growth Zone status will make to the area.

“It will create exciting new opportunities for national and regional industries,” he said. “North Lincolnshire’s substantial energy infrastructure and extensive skills base make it the ideal location for an AI Growth Zone.”

Outline planning permission for that development, valued at £3bn, was granted by North Lincolnshire Council in August 2024, with that project expected to increase the availability of AI datacentre capacity in the region by 384mW.