UK family office TBC Partners files application for 300MW data center campus in Northumberland

A UK-based family office has taken the first step toward developing a major data center campus in the northeast of England, adding to a growing cluster of digital infrastructure projects in the region.

TBC Partners has filed a screening opinion request with Northumberland County Council for a proposed data center development on land at Factory Road in Cambois, near Blyth. The site spans approximately 12 hectares and sits alongside the A189, immediately south of the River Wansbeck. The full planning application has not yet been submitted, but the company's website indicates the campus, referred to as the Blyth Data Centre, could total 300MW.

According to filing documents, layout options are being considered that would comprise one or two main data center buildings, with an on-site substation also planned. Construction is expected to take around 24 months, with occupation and operation intended to occur between 2030 and 2035. The company is currently requesting a screening opinion to determine whether a full Environmental Impact Assessment is required for the project.

The facility is designed with sustainability in mind. Application documents suggest the data center would use a closed-loop air-cooled conditioning plant to reduce overall water consumption, and TBC Partners also aims to explore potential uses for waste heat generated by the facility in the surrounding area.

The land itself has a long industrial history. It was previously part of the GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical manufacturing facility that operated in Cambois from 1971 until around 2004, with buildings demolished between 2009 and 2013. More recently, the site has been used for storage of recycled and secondary aggregates, timber supplies, and large plant and machinery, as well as hire and haulage services. In 2016, the land received permission for use as a waste management and transfer station processing up to 150,000 tonnes annually.

The proposed campus is adjacent to another planned data center development from Wansbeck Regeneration Ltd, which filed plans earlier this year for three buildings totaling 356,000 sqm (3.8 million sq ft) on land that was also formerly part of the GSK manufacturing campus. The TBC Partners site is also located approximately one mile (1.6km) north of QTS's Cambois project, a 540,000 sqm (5.8 million sq ft) campus planned for the former Blyth Power Station, where up to ten data center buildings totaling 720MW could be developed at full build-out.

TBC Partners is a UK-based joint family office traditionally focused on energy and sustainability investments. Beyond the Northumberland project, the company also lists plans on its website for a development in Didcot that could total 300MW.

The Northumberland region is emerging as a significant data center hub in the UK, driven by available industrial land, proximity to renewable energy sources, and grid connectivity. The cluster of projects in Cambois and around Blyth underscores the area's growing appeal to both hyperscale operators and private developers seeking to capitalize on the surging demand for digital infrastructure.