Newham Council's Strategic Development Committee has given planning approval for a £750m ($976.3m) sustainable urban hyperscale data centre scheme in Canning Town, London, UK.

The data centre is jointly funded by Legal & General (L&G), Goldacre, and data centre development partner sineQN.

The consortium's expertise in digital infrastructure will be instrumental in the development of this independent project.

Goldacre founder and CEO David Bloom said: “The planning approval marks a significant milestone, not only for Newham but for London’s broader digital infrastructure. As demand for data capacity continues to grow exponentially, this development reinforces the capital’s position as a global hub for innovation and technology.

“It has been over a decade since we invested in our first data centre, and we have gone on to make a number of successful investments in this space, with Newham as the latest addition. Both the sector and the processes involved have experienced a coming of age, there could not be a better time to invest in data centres."

The planning approval follows extensive consultation with residents and stakeholders, including Newham Council officers and members, ensuring community engagement in the project's development.

RPS Group acted as the planning consultant, managing the environmental impact assessment process and offering expertise in Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, air quality, circular economy, archaeology, whole life carbon, and sustainability.

This investment is poised to significantly impact the local economy, contributing £88m to Newham's gross value added and creating 920 direct construction jobs and 130 operational jobs.

By 2031, Newham aims to draw in an additional 500 businesses within the high-growth and data sectors.

The data centre, set to deliver 80MW of IT processing capacity by early 2027, is designed to support a wide range of workloads, including AI.

Located just over 500m from the London Internet Exchange, it offers a secure and sustainable option for data businesses.