Private prototype. Facts from research on 2 to 3 October 2026; not yet reviewed for publication. Forms do not submit.

All schemes

Approved - but it's not overSouth East, England

Graven Hill D1 data centre campus, Bicester

Cherwell District Council granted reserved matters approval (appearance, landscaping, layout and scale) on 6 August 2026 for eight data centre units totalling 103,605 sqm, under a 2023 outline permission that was granted for B8 storage and distribution use. The decision was taken by officers, not by committee. The deadline had been extended to 10 May 2026; the decision came later, so there were further extensions that were not found. [S1] [S2] [S3]

Key facts

Status
Approved - but it's not over (approved) [S1] [S2] [S3]
Decided by
Cherwell District Council (officer delegated decision) [S1] [S2]
Applicant
Graven Hill Purchaser Ltd [S1] [S3] [S5] [S6]
Developer or backer
Not stated in planning documents (outline applicant care of Resolute Property; DCD notes the company shares an address with law firm Dentons and names director Peter Rumbold)
References
25/03310/REM; 22/01829/OUT
Location
Site D1 at Graven Hill, former MOD land allocated for employment use, adjacent to St David's Barracks, near Bicester and Ambrosden, Oxfordshire. Officer report gives 32.3 ha; the 2022 outline planning statement gave about 31.1 ha. [S1] [S3] [S4]
IT capacity
290MW [S1] [S4] [S5] [S6]
Total power
435MW [S1] [S4] [S5] [S6]
Site area
32.3 ha [S1] [S4] [S5] [S6]
Buildings
Eight data centre units plus new electricity substation. Unit 1: 4,288 sqm, 15MW; Units 2 to 8: 13,961 sqm and 60MW each (maximum height 20m) [S1] [S4] [S5] [S6]
Investment (claimed)
About GBP4.35bn construction cost, excluding IT equipment (claimed by applicant in its Economic Benefits Statement) [S1] [S4] [S5] [S6]
On-site generation
Rooftop solar only (Unit 1 max 152 panels; Units 2 to 8 max 76 panels each). Wind, heat pumps and battery storage rejected by applicant; DCD notes the energy assessment suggests investigating private solar farm connections. [S1] [S5] [S7]
Backup generators
203 diesel backup generators; tested for 15 minutes monthly at 0% load and 6 hours every six months at 100% load (officer report). Decision notice: no further diesel generators without express planning permission. [S1] [S5] [S7]
Cooling and water
Sealed closed-loop cooling, no evaporative cooling; water consumption limited to staff welfare use (applicant claim, secured by condition 13 per officer report). Thames Water: no objection. [S1] [S5] [S7]
Designations
Allocated employment land (former MOD land); Nine bat species recorded on site (county importance, per council ecologist); Great crested newts and badgers surveyed [S1] [S4]
Previous use
Former MOD land (MOD Bicester site) [S1] [S4]
Environmental assessment
EIA carried out at outline stage; reserved matters submission included updated Environmental Statement data; officer concluded the environmental information remained adequate [S1] [S4]

Timeline

  1. 8 December 2022
    Outline application 22/01829/OUT determined at committee (per register); application described B8 'Storage or Distribution' up to 104,008 sqm GIA, fixing access only [S3]
  2. 10 October 2023
    Outline permission 22/01829/OUT granted (decision date on register) [S3] [S1]
  3. 19 December 2025
    Reserved matters application 25/03310/REM validated [S2]
  4. 2 February 2026
    Ambrosden Parish Council initially 'no comments or objections' [S1]
  5. 14 April 2026
    DCD reports decision delayed; extension of time agreed to 10 May 2026 [S5]
  6. 20 April 2026
    Ambrosden Parish Council raises concerns about power, water, noise and vibration (overtakes its earlier no-objection) [S1]
  7. 5 August 2026
    Delegated officer report recommends approval subject to 14 conditions (checked 6 August) [S1]
  8. 6 August 2026
    Reserved matters approved; decision notice issued [S2] [S7]

Statutory consultees

BodyPositionDateDetail
Environment Agencyno objectionNo opposition in principle; wants contaminated-ground confirmation before infiltration SuDS and culvert ownership established [S1]
Thames Waterno objectionAdequate foul and surface water capacity [S1]
Oxfordshire County Council (highways)no objectionSpeed-restriction features required on 178m straight access road [S1]
Ambrosden Parish Councilobjection20 April 2026Concerns on severely limited power and water; noise and vibration. Earlier 'no comments or objections' on 2026-02-02 was overtaken. (Described as 'concerns', not formally an objection; recorded as objection for want of a better value.) [S1]
Cherwell DC Arboricultural officerobjectionLoss of 142 trees including four Category A without justification (internal consultee) [S1]

Politicians and organisations

  • Graven Hill Residents Association (no objection in principle, impacts to be mitigated)
  • Bicester Bike Users Group (concerns on crossings)

Claims

Claims by developers, campaigners or councils, recorded as claims and not checked as fact.

  • Cherwell case officer (delegated report), citing recovered appeals including Manor Farm / Wraysbury (3366043) (council): Data centres fall within Use Class B8, so a data centre can be approved as a reserved matter under the B8 outline [S1]
  • Reading of the 2022 supporting planning statement (primary document); objectors argue data centres are sui generis (other): The outline application mentions no data centre; it described B8 logistics across about nine units, 12% above an earlier approved 92,040 sqm [S4] [S1]
  • Graven Hill Purchaser Ltd Economic Benefits Statement (Quod, Nov 2025) (developer): Creates 1,500 to 2,000 construction FTEs and 500 to 800 operational FTEs; GVA GBP225m to GBP630m a year; business rates up to GBP13.5m a year; no operator identified [S6]
  • Applicant as reported by DCD (developer): 600 to 800 jobs [S5]
  • Objectors, as summarised in the officer report (other): 435MW is equivalent to 1.4 million homes' demand; data centre is sui generis not B8 [S1]

Sources

  1. [S1] Delegated Officer Report, 25/03310/REM, Unit D1 Graven Hill. Cherwell District Council, 5 August 2026. Level 1 source.
  2. [S2] Planning application 25/03310/REM (register page). Cherwell District Council, 6 August 2026. Level 1 source.
  3. [S3] Planning application 22/01829/OUT (register page). Cherwell District Council, 10 October 2023. Level 1 source.
  4. [S4] Supporting Planning Statement, Graven Hill D1 Site, June 2022. Quod / Graven Hill Purchaser Ltd, 2022-06. Level 1 source.
  5. [S5] Planning decision on data center project in Oxfordshire, UK, delayed. DatacenterDynamics, 14 April 2026. Level 5 source.
  6. [S6] Graven Hill, D1 Site, Bicester Economic Benefits Statement. Graven Hill Purchaser Ltd (via Quod), 2025-11. Level 3 source.
  7. [S7] Notice of Decision, 25/03310/REM. Cherwell District Council, 6 August 2026. Level 1 source.
  8. [S8] Planning application 25/01768/HYBRID (separate residential scheme, for disambiguation). Cherwell District Council. Level 1 source.