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

All schemes

Decision pendingSouth East, England

Manor Farm West, Poyle (Slough)

A full application for three data centre buildings (216MW IT in total) on 23.5 ha of Green Belt west of Poyle Road was received by Slough Borough Council on 16 September 2026 (P/21160/000). Public comments close on 20 October 2026 and the council's target decision date is 16 December 2026; no committee date has been announced. No decision, withdrawal, appeal or legal challenge as at 3 October 2026. This is a separate application from the neighbouring Manor Farm scheme (appeal 3366043, allowed 10 June 2026). [F1] [F2] [F5]

Key facts

Status
Decision pending (application submitted) [F1] [F2] [F5]
Decided by
Slough Borough Council (planning committee, once reported) [F1]
Applicant
Manor Farm Propco Limited [F1] [F2] [F3]
Developer or backer
Tritax Big Box REIT plc (reported; Tritax acquired the 74-acre Manor Farm site for GBP 70 million)
References
P/21160/000; P/10076/013
Location
23.5 ha of Metropolitan Green Belt and Colne Valley Regional Park land west of Poyle Road, near Colnbrook, about 1.6km west of Heathrow Airport (applicant's environmental statement) and next to the Manor Farm site approved on appeal in June 2026. Slough Daily gives designations as Metropolitan Green Belt, Strategic Gap and Colne Valley Regional Park, about 5.3 km south-east of Slough town centre. [F1]
IT capacity
216MW [F1] [F2] [F5]
Site area
23.5 ha [F1] [F2] [F5]
Buildings
Three buildings (MFW1, MFW2, MFW3), 72MW each, up to 30.95m high including cooling plant; office blocks up to 19.6m; also substations, cooling plant, fuel storage, offices, landscaping, drainage works and road access (Data Central) [F1] [F2] [F5]
On-site generation
Application described as relying on grid supply by 8.6 km cable; applicant indicates potential for cleaner fuel for the generators 'where technically and commercially feasible' (Data Central). 141 diesel emergency generators reported. No battery storage found for this scheme (the neighbouring approved scheme includes 100MW BESS). [F1] [F2]
Backup generators
141 emergency generators (47 per building) [F1] [F2]
Cooling and water
Sealed closed-loop cooling; water use estimated at 1,892 cubic metres a year (applicant's environmental statement). [F1] [F2]
Designations
Metropolitan Green Belt (applicant argues it is 'grey belt', supported by a Pegasus Group Grey Belt Appraisal); Colne Valley Regional Park; Strategic Gap (Slough Daily) [F1] [M1]
Previous use
Land west of the Manor Farm appeal site, owned by the appellant; the decision letter says part of land to the west of the appeal site is 'awaiting restoration to grass', beyond which lies Arthur Jacob Nature Reserve. Earlier use otherwise not stated. [F1] [M1]
Environmental assessment
Environmental Statement submitted with the application (per Slough Daily). It reports significant permanent visual effects for nearby residents, Poyle Poplars footpath users and Datchet Water Sailing Club members, and about 3,818,342 tCO2e over 60 years (rated 'moderate adverse and significant'). These are the applicant's own findings. [F1] [M1]

Timeline

  1. 10 June 2026
    Neighbouring Manor Farm site approved on appeal by the Secretary of State (the applicant relies on its 'grey belt' finding). [F1] [M1]
  2. 27 July 2026
    Tritax announces full permission for the neighbouring Manor Farm 107MW data centre as final after the six-week challenge period passed; the council did not challenge (Slough Express headline 'council loses six-week review'). Tritax says the 74-acre site could take phased expansions or alternative developments. [F6] [F7]
  3. 26 August 2026
    Applicant's public exhibition at St Thomas's Church, Colnbrook: 46 attendees and 8 feedback forms. [F1]
  4. 16 September 2026
    Application P/21160/000 received by Slough Borough Council. [F1] [F2]
  5. 24 September 2026
    Full council motion on data centres (Cllrs Muvvala and Shaik): write to government asking it to publish evidence on cumulative impacts and benefits of data centres; also asks for cumulative impact evidence and a data centre webpage. Slough Daily (29 September) said the result had not been published; a Maidenhead Advertiser headline reports Slough council 'unanimously backs' a motion calling for evidence on the impact of data centres (article text not readable; presumed to be this motion). [F1] [F8]
  6. 20 October 2026
    Public comments close on the planning register. [F1]
  7. 16 December 2026
    Council's target decision date (13 weeks after receipt; not a confirmed committee date). [F1]

Politicians and organisations

  • Slough Borough Council motion of 24 September 2026 (Cllrs Muvvala and Shaik) on data centre transparency and cumulative impacts; not an objection to this application
  • Slough Against Data Centres (founder Dr Ambily Banerjee): campaign for a cumulative impact assessment of data centres in Slough, mostly focused on Microsoft's proposed Langley site; no statement on Manor Farm West found

Claims

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

  • Manor Farm Propco Limited (environmental statement, as summarised by Slough Daily) (developer): Between 110 and 580 full-time jobs once operational (assessed in the ES as minor and not significant); construction workforce averaging 580 over about 2 years 8 months to 2030; business rates up to GBP 12 million a year. [F1]
  • Manor Farm Propco Limited (Pegasus Group Grey Belt Appraisal) (developer): The site qualifies as 'grey belt', relying on the inspector's finding on the neighbouring Manor Farm appeal. [F1]
  • Manor Farm Propco Limited (developer): About 7.6 ha of publicly accessible landscape. [F1]
  • Manor Farm Propco Limited (applicant) (developer): The site is 'grey belt' and the scheme meets the national tests, relying on a Pegasus Group appraisal and the Secretary of State's finding on the neighbouring site [F1] [M1]
  • Tritax Big Box REIT (developer): Tritax describes the wider 74-acre Manor Farm holding as having potential for 'phased expansions or alternative developments' and as a 'power-first' opportunity [F7] [F3]
  • Dr Ambily Banerjee, Slough Against Data Centres, quoted by Brit Brief (about the borough's data centres generally, not this application specifically) (campaigners): Emissions, noise and diesel pollutants from generators, heat island effects and long-term health risks [F14]
  • Slough Borough Council spokeswoman, as quoted by Brit Brief (about the approved neighbouring scheme) (council): Council is 'incredibly aware of the Government's position' supporting growth of the industry and 'remain disappointed' with the approval of the hyperscale data centre in the east of the borough [F14]

Campaigns

Sources

  1. [F1] Slough Data Centres: Three More Planned on Poyle Green Belt. Slough Daily, 29 September 2026. Level 4 source.
  2. [F2] Three more data centres proposed near Slough. Data Central, 1 October 2026. Level 5 source.
  3. [F3] Tritax Big Box targets exceptional returns from 147 MW data centre development opportunity. Tritax Big Box REIT plc, 21 January 2025. Level 3 source.
  4. [M1] Decision letter and Inspector's Report, Manor Farm Slough (APP/J0350/W/25/3366043). MHCLG via GOV.UK, 10 June 2026. Level 1 source.
  5. [F4] Slough data centre petition. Slough Daily, 21 August 2026. Level 4 source.
  6. [F5] Slough Daily, Manor Farm West application page (re-read 3 October 2026). Slough Daily, 29 September 2026. Level 4 source.
  7. [F6] Tritax Big Box REIT obtains planning approval for 107MW Manor Farm data centre in Slough. Kalkine Media (RNS rewrite of Tritax announcement), 27 July 2026. Level 5 source.
  8. [F7] Tritax secures planning approval for Manor Farm data centre. LSE.co.uk (Tritax announcement), 27 July 2026. Level 5 source.
  9. [F8] Slough council unanimously backs motion calling for evidence on impact of data centres (headline only). Maidenhead Advertiser. Level 4 source.
  10. [F9] Slough's data centre boom: residents fight back. Brit Brief, 3 October 2026. Level 4 source.
  11. [F10] The town carrying Britain's AI dream is starting to revolt. The Irish Times, 25 September 2026. Level 4 source.
  12. [F11] Planning application 24/30011/SMI, EIA screening request, Manor Farm Poyle Road (earlier scheme). planning.org.uk (council data), 29 October 2024. Level 7 source.
  13. [F12] Urge the government to limit data centres in Slough. Change.org (Tracey Belcher), 19 July 2026. Level 6 source.
  14. [F13] Public Inquiry: Manor Farm (decision 10 June 2026; council ref P/10076/013, PINS APP/J0350/W/25/3366043). Slough Borough Council, 10 June 2026. Level 1 source.
  15. [F14] Slough's data centre boom: residents fight back (Brit Brief) - read for council statement and group quotes. Brit Brief, 3 October 2026. Level 4 source.