May 15, 2025 | Posted by Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji
UK deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has overruled local councillors and given the green light to a £1 billion ($1.32bn) data center in Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire.Rayner made her decision based on a report from planning inspector Thomas Hatfield, who recommended that the development, proposed by property developer Greystoke Land, be given the go-ahead.
“The secretary of state notes that the development would provide around three percent of the forecasted growth in data center capacity need across London between 2004 and 2029,” the decision notice said, going on to add: “A failure to provide enough sites to meet the need for new data centers could result in investment being lost to other well-established markets outside the UK.”
However, local councillors have reacted with dismay to the decision. Speaking to the Watford Observer, Abbots Langley councillor Sara Bedford said the news was “extremely disappointing.” Bedford said: “It appears that the much-prized green belt fields around Abbots Langley are now classified as grey belt and open for development.
