Zurich Assurance has submitted plans for a major new data centre at Park Royal, NW10.
The firm wants to develop a 560,000 sq ft data centre on a 4.7-acre site on its Chandos Road trading estate.
Zurich is submitting its plans to establish their acceptability, but does not plan to process the proposals itself. It will sell the site to a data centre operator to bring forward its own site.
Planning papers for the project set out how the UK is Europe’s premier data centre hosting location and outline the increasing demand for this type of property as a result of the rise in home working. They also outline the importance of data centres in maintaining the UK’s competitive position in a post-Brexit world.
They say: “Maintaining and increasing data centre facilities is an important part of the UK plc business investment strategy of the future, as the economy changes and data demand increases exponentially. Data centres are part of the UK’s strategic infrastructure.”
In addition to the data centre, the scheme also includes ancillary offices, as much as 27,000 sq ft of work units, plus car and cycle parking.
Zurich is the second landowner in the area to seek planning for a data centre scheme to sell on.
In March, Linden Homes said it was putting its 1.2-acre site on North Acton Road, NW10, up for sale after getting approval from the Olympic Park Delivery Authority for a 269,000 sq ft data centre on the land.
To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette
