£3bn Humber Tech Park clears planning
A hyperscale AI data centre, weighing in at 3.3m sq ft, can now be delivered on land south of the A160 in South Killingholme.
Consented by North Lincolnshire Council, the £3bn project, to be delivered across three main buildings, is the latest hyperscale data centre scheme to advance in the North.
In June, Harworth sold 48 acres at Skelton Grange near Leeds to Microsoft for a hyperscale operation, while heavyweight Blackstone will fund a £10bn data campus project at Northunmberland Energy Park, taking over from the doomed Britishvolt giga-factory project.
Put forward by Humber Tech Park Ltd, advised by Pegasus Group, the 188-acre Killingholme project would come with substantial obligations under the Section 106 agreement as suggested by officers: £10m for education (capital) and a further £2.5m (revenue) to go specifically to teaching and training relating to AI.
Contributions of £1m each for local leisure and health are also suggested.
Along with Pegasus, the professional team includes landscape architect MHP Design, transport advisor DTA, Collison and MEC.
As set out by planning officers, what is needed for hyperscale centres are power supply, land, connectivity, a cool climate, access to water, a stable political landscape, and a thriving research and innovation ecosystem. North Lincs fits the bill, they say:
“In a UK context the South Humber Bank area is an ideal location for a large-scale AI training data centre due to its large-scale energy supply from both North Sea gas and now offshore wind.
“The proposed Viking Carbon Capture and Storage scheme offers the potential for large-scale net zero energy supply, with construction anticipated to start by 2025. The UK offers few other locations that can provide the scale of power supply and immediate availability, as well as other important location characteristics.”
Along with data centre space and supporting offices, the site will accommodate a district heating network and galsshouses, where produce will be grown, mitigating the loss of agricultural land.
The site is 2.5 west of Immingham and 8km north-west of Grimsby. The quality of jobs is one of the points in favour, as the officers’ report suggests, average wages could be 53% higher than the area’s average. Only a small number of objections were lodged ahead of committee.
North Lincolnshire Council’s advisory team included Tetra Tech.
Humber Tech Park was incorporated as a company in February this year. It has three directors as listed with Companies House, and is advised by Dragon Argent. One of the HTP directors is also a director of Greystoke, which is looking to build data centres elsewhere.
Welcoming the verdict, Cllr Rob Waltham, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “This development shows a massive vote of confidence in North Lincolnshire’s economy.
“This is an unprecedented investment in the area, and it will be a magnet for attracting other high-tech businesses to make North Lincolnshire their home.
“The 400 jobs would be highly skilled and highly paid – averaging around £50,000 a year for operational employees.
“This will mean residents from our area who usually need to move to the city to access this type of work will now be able to access these well-paid job in the technology sector on their doorstep. More will be employed during the construction phase.
“The development will see investment in community infrastructure and money for local education and training. Biodiversity would also be improved with landscaping, tree planting and ponds.”
The proposals can be viewed on NLC’s planning portal with the reference PA//2024/584.
