UK government approves controversial 5.2MW Truman Brewery data center proposal

The UK government has approved a contentious plan to redevelop the historic Truman Brewery site in east London into a mixed-use scheme that includes a 5.2MW data center, overturning a previous rejection by the local council. The decision, made by Secretary of State for Housing Angela Rayner, marks the culmination of a lengthy planning battle that pitted local opposition and housing advocates against the site’s owners and developers.

The project, backed by property owner Truman Estates and developer Zeloof LLP, was initially refused planning permission by Tower Hamlets Council in 2025. Following an appeal by Truman Estates, the then-Secretary of State for Housing Steve Reed ‘called in’ the proposal, transferring the final decision to central government. Rayner, acting on behalf of Labour minister Matthew Pennycook, approved all four appeals submitted by Truman Estates, clearing the way for the demolition of an existing property at 47 Grey Eagle Street—a cluster of buildings behind the main brewery complex—to accommodate the data center, which will span 5,266 sqm (56,682 sq ft).

The approval comes despite significant local resistance. A petition opposing the data center has gathered more than 3,600 signatures, with critics citing concerns over the facility’s environmental impact and its compatibility with the surrounding area. Opponents have also objected to the fact that the data center will primarily serve the financial industry. An alternative plan commissioned by the council suggested the site could accommodate 350 homes, including 44 units of social housing, a point of particular sensitivity given that Tower Hamlets reportedly has more than 28,000 families on its council housing waiting list.

In the decision document, officials noted that the existing building on the site is “utterly derelict, and home to anti-social and criminal activity,” and that its ruinous state represents “a profoundly negative element of the townscape.” Pennycook added that Rayner had seen “no detailed evidence before her of the feasibility and deliverability of an alternative residential-led scheme,” justifying the decision to proceed with the data center development.

The Truman Brewery, founded in the 1600s by the Truman family, was one of the largest breweries in the world by the end of the 19th century before closing in 1989. The site was purchased by Iraqi textiles entrepreneur Ely Zeloof in 1995 for a reported £10 million ($13.5m) and is now managed by his sons. The overall redevelopment of the site is expected to cost £500 million ($673m).

The brewery site already hosts three colocation data centers operated by Digital Realty, which acquired the interconnected LON1, LON2, and LON3 facilities on Hanbury Street when it purchased European data center operator Interxion in 2019. The addition of the new facility underscores the continued demand for data center capacity in central London, particularly for financial services clients, even as local communities push back against such developments in favor of housing and other uses.