Proposed data centre could create 370 jobs

Plans have been lodged to develop one of Europe’s largest data centres in the Humber region.

If planners approve, the facility would be built on land near the A160 near South Killingholme and could create around 370 jobs.

The scheme, which is known as Humber Tech Park, would see the data centre cover more than 3.3m sq ft, including three large buildings, offices and a horticultural glass house.

A detailed statement submitted as part of the application explains: “This is no ordinary development proposal and nor is it one that meets a generic need that could be met anywhere.

“The proposed development is a new type of data centre that is designed to ‘train’ Artificial Intelligence (AI) models. These data centres require very high levels of computing and power capacity.

“Should permission be granted for the data centre it would provide for critical infrastructure, and its timely delivery is a matter of national importance.

“There is a rapidly growing need for data storage being driven by the rapid growth of the use data in almost every aspect of human activity – social, economic and governmental. This growing need is set to accelerate even further with the forecast growth in AI activity.”

The applicant adds that the South Humber Bank area is an ideal location for a large-scale AI training data centre, due to its large-scale energy supply from both North Sea gas and now offshore wind.

And it says the proposals represent an opportunity to secure a £2.2bn to £3bn investment in this area, which would assist with further diversification of the local economy into the digital economy.