Slough Council has agreed to turn a former paint factory zoned for residential development into a data center. The Council decided to sell the site to an unnamed data center developer. Per council documents, the Slough Council acquired the site in February 2021 from Panattoni for £38.5 million (~$43m). 

The Council’s plan was to redevelop the site to deliver up to 1,000 residential units. However, reports show that the Council did not plan adequately for the development. Cost risk and funding plan were not considered. To put it into context, the project would have cost the Council in excess of £250m, yet, it didn’t have any idea of how it would pay for it. In light of this, the Council decided to sell the site, with the deal expected to close before the end of the month.