Apr 28, 2026 | Posted by Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji
A proposal to convert a former chemical plant into an AI data center in North Wales, UK, has been rejected by the local council. Anglesey County Council turned down the planning application for the site of the former Octel factory at Amlwch Port, according to the North Wales Chronicle. Carbon3.ai submitted the application in January, seeking a change of use to enable the development of a data center, with plans to repurpose existing buildings for the facility.
The Octel site has been empty since 2004, after operating for more than 50 years, producing bromine from seawater. The proposal was positioned as aligning with the UK’s designation of Wales as an AI Growth Zone, an initiative aimed at encouraging data center development through measures such as prioritized access to power and favorable business rates. The Octel site has been vacant since 2004, following more than 50 years of operation producing bromine from seawater.
This is not the first data center proposal to be rejected by a local council this year. In February, Edinburgh Council’s planning committee turned down plans for a data center at the former Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters site. Other reports suggest that data center developments in the UK are increasingly facing challenges due to inadequate community engagement.
