Data Center Spanning Up to 50,000 Sqm Gets Approval for Construction in West London, UK

A major data center development capable of delivering up to 50,000 square meters (538,195 sq ft) of floorspace has received planning approval for construction on the Haslemere Heathrow Estate in west London, UK. The Hounslow Council granted the application on Thursday, August 6, clearing the way for three data center buildings to rise on a site currently occupied by industrial warehouses known as the Heathrow Estate.

According to planning documents, the facility will require 64MW of electricity and is designed to deliver 48MW of IT load, with a targeted power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.35. The project has been put forward by Brixton (Heathrow Estate) Ltd, a company linked to California-based real estate investment firm Kennedy Wilson.

The approval marks a significant step for the UK's data center sector, which continues to expand rapidly to meet growing cloud and AI-driven demand. The site's proximity to Heathrow Airport and its location within west London make it strategically attractive for operators seeking connectivity and access to major network hubs. The project also aligns with broader regional efforts to repurpose underutilized industrial land into high-value digital infrastructure.

Brixton (Heathrow Estate) Ltd has previous experience in the data center space. The firm earlier applied to build a 73MW data center campus outside Slough, a town west of Hounslow that hosts the UK's largest concentration of data centers by capacity. In its December 2025 application, the company clarified that it is "not an operator of data centers" and that a "specific operator will then bring forward their bespoke scheme via the reserved matters process."

The company has emphasized the local economic benefits of the redevelopment. "The Heathrow Estate is failing to maximize its potential. Redevelopment as a data center could lead to a wide range of local benefits, including significant [Community Infrastructure Levy] payments, higher Business Rates income, and the creation of skilled jobs in the local area," the firm stated on its project website. These points are likely to resonate with local authorities as they balance development pressures with community needs.

The approval also comes amid ongoing scrutiny of grid connection practices in the UK, where regulators have proposed measures to discourage speculative data center projects that reserve capacity without progressing to construction. By securing full planning consent, Brixton (Heathrow Estate) Ltd is positioning the site as a shovel-ready opportunity for a future operator, potentially expediting the path from approval to live service.

As the UK continues to attract significant investment in digital infrastructure, projects like this underscore the growing importance of repurposing existing industrial sites for high-density computing facilities. The successful delivery of the west London data center could serve as a model for similar redevelopment initiatives across the country, particularly in areas with strong connectivity and access to power.