Have you submitted a planning application yet?

No. This public consultation is being run by UWH Development ahead of submission of an outline planning application, in order to understand community views at an early stage in the planning process. An outline planning application will be submitted to Buckinghamshire Council in due course. At this stage, there will be another opportunity to provide your comments directly to Buckinghamshire Council, with further information about our proposal available at this stage.

Following a successful outline planning application, a further “Reserved Matters” application will be submitted which will specify all of the exact specifications of the proposal.

What economic benefits will these proposals provide for the community?

Once complete, the Technology Park will provide an estimated 250 jobs, ranging from highly specialised positions associated with the operation of the data and energy centres, to support roles such as security, cleaning and maintenance. The proposal also represents a large investment in the Denham area, and will support further jobs during the construction process. We are exploring measures to ensure local firms are able to competitively tender for contracts.

The development would also pay the “Community Infrastructure Levy”, which will provide money to Buckinghamshire Council for reinvestment in local community infrastructure, on top of the tax revenues that long-term operation of the data centres will generate.

Beyond this, the Technology Park will also contribute to the national need for data centres to power a wide range of modern economy uses, ensuring the UK maintains its status as a digital superpower.

How much water will the data centres use?

Our proposed data centres will use what is known as a “closed-loop” cooling system, meaning that water used in the cooling process is retained, and not released into the atmosphere. This means that the amount of water used by the data centre operation is negligible, and instead only used for standard functions such as taps, toilets, and grounds maintenance, similar to a warehouse or office block.

How much electricity will the data centres use?

Due to ongoing delays into connecting to the national grid, the first phases of operation will be powered by an on-site energy centre using Solid Oxide Fuel Cells. For more information on this, please view the “Energy Centre” sub-page, under “Our Proposal”. We are pursuing a National Grid connection, however the exact level of electricity consumption will depend on the final specifications of the data centres, which will be finalised at a later stage in the process.

Will the proposals produce noise?

Data centres, and more specifically the cooling systems required to make them function, do produce some noise, however significant work is ongoing in order to ensure any potential impact is minimised.

The site is well screened from surrounding areas via its topography and the extensive proposed and existing woodland, whilst equipment used on-site will be carefully selected. This includes the use of SOFCs rather than traditional generators during the first phase of standard operation, as outlined in the “Energy Centre” sub-page, under “Our Proposal”.

The noise produced would also be significantly less than what would be expected from moving film related equipment (as per the previous application) and an order of magnitude less than a logistics development with a similar footprint. A full Noise Assessment will be submitted alongside the outline planning application.

How will employees travel to the site?

Hollybush Lane is a two-way road with enough capacity to allow future employees to arrive by car without causing undue disruption. Appropriate levels of parking will be provided on-site, although exact numbers will be confirmed once final designs and expected employee numbers are confirmed.

An extensive suite of sustainable and active travel measures are proposed. This includes a proposed active travel route for pedestrians and cyclists, and exploration of a shuttle bus scheme to connect to local public transport, allowing future employees to commute in a sustainable and more environmentally friendly way. For more information, visit the “Transport and Access” page under “Our Proposal”.