Government set for early 2026 court hearing over decision to approve Iver datacentre development

A legal challenge directed at the government’s decision to grant planning permission for a hyperscale datacentre to be built on green belt land in Iver, Buckinghamshire is set to reach court in early 2026, Computer Weekly has learned.

The West London Technology Park (WLTP) project involves the repurposing of a former landfill site in Iver, and has previously been denied planning permission on green belt protection grounds twice.

The project was placed under review as part of a push by the Labour government to fast-track the building of datacentres in the interests of economic growth, with the developer overseeing the build – Greystoke – finally securing planning permission for the project in July 2025.

However, on 21 August 2025, environmental charity Global Action Plan and civil society group Foxglove confirmed they had filed a formal legal action against the government’s decision to grant Greystoke the green light to proceed with the project because no environmental impact assessment for the build had taken place.

The legal action is taking the form of a planning appeal under section 288 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, with Foxglove confirming to Computer Weekly that a court date has been set for the case to be heard on 22 January 2026.

The legal action’s aim is to overturn the government’s decision to grant permission for the build to proceed, with Foxglove and Green Action Plan previously describing the effort as the first legal action of its kind against a hyperscale datacentre project in the UK.

At the time of writing, the legal action has won the financial support of more than 900 contributors, who have raised more than £22,000 to support Foxglove and Global Action Plan in their efforts.

Donald Campbell, advocacy director at tech justice non-profit Foxglove, said in a statement to Computer Weekly that the government’s failure to “properly assess the environmental impact of datacentres” needs to be challenged, adding: “By failing to properly assess the environmental impact of datacentres, the government is putting big tech’s profits over the public’s wellbeing.

“Datacentres use vast amounts of electricity, resulting in huge carbon emissions. Yet instead of properly assessing the serious impact of these facilities’ use of resources, the government has been pushing them through without a second thought for the environment.”

As well as the government, the legal action is being filed against Greystoke, Buckinghamshire County Council and an unnamed global datacentre provider who is understood to have agreed to acquire the site once the planning issues surrounding it are resolved.

“The world’s wealthiest companies must not be given a free pass to pollute, while the rest of us suffer the consequences,” continued Campbell. “So far, ministers have refused to listen – so we’re asking the court to overturn their thoughtless support for big tech’s construction frenzy.”

In a statement to Computer Weekly, WLTP developer Greystoke said the project will meet “a vital national need for digital infrastructure” in the UK and is set to bring in over £1bn of investment, which is why the government was right to grant final approval for the project.

“Modern datacentres play a key role in advancing scientific research, medical diagnostics and sustainable energy. The datacentre campus incorporates measures which benefit the environment, including appropriate building standards, solar panels and heat pumps. The secretary of state took all relevant matters into account and reached the right decision in determining to grant planning permission for West London Tech Park,” the Greystoke spokesperson added.

Computer Weekly contacted the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for comment on this story, but no response had been received at the time of publication.