Tritax Big Box, a UK logistics real estate developer, has acquired a 74-acre site near Heathrow, England, located within the Slough Availability Zone.
The company plans to develop a £365m ($446.89m) data centre at the Manor Farm site, marking its first venture into the data centre market.
Tritax has also secured a 50% stake in a joint venture (JV) with a leading European renewable energy power generator to expedite power delivery to the site through preexisting grid connection agreements.
Subject to planning consent, the land purchase and JV participation will fast track the potential delivery of up to 147MW of power, essential for the development of a data centre scheme at Manor Farm.
Tritax stated that the site's proximity to key data cable routes enhances its appeal to hyperscale and co-location operators, offering high connectivity levels.
The site can accommodate a 107MW data centre under the first phase, with construction set to begin in the first half (H1) of 2026, on land presently used for industrial storage.
The development also presents opportunities for future growth, with the potential for a second-phase data centre offering 40MW.
A planning application for the first phase has been submitted by Tritax Big Box, with completion expected by the end of 2027.
The first-phase data centre is designed to be one of the 'most advanced' facilities within Europe, with 448,000ft² of data halls spread over three floors.
The data centre will be developed on a 'powered shell' basis, subject to receiving planning consent and securing a pre-let agreement.
The indicative capital expenditure of approximately £365m encompasses land, construction, JV stake acquisition, transaction costs, and the company's 50% share of the power-related infrastructure costs.
Tritax Big Box plans to finance this project through a mix of existing financial resources and its capital recycling programme.
Tritax Big Box chair Aubrey Adams said: “This is a decisive and exciting first step for the company in the very attractive data centre market.
“The combination of Manor Farm’s prime London location and accelerated access to critical grid connection agreements creates the opportunity to develop quickly one of the UK’s largest data centres and deliver exceptional returns for our shareholders.”
