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

All schemes

Early stageEast of England, England

Norwich Apex data centre, Keswick, South Norfolk

Developer consultation ran 22 June to 12 July 2026. No planning application has been validated by South Norfolk Council as at the weekly lists up to the week ending 25 September 2026 (lists for weeks ending 5, 11, 18 and 25 September read; the list for the week ending 2 October could not be found), and no later report of one was found. ITV reported on 26 August 2026 that the council is asking the developer to resubmit plans (an unnamed official's remark; not a formal decision). The Change.org petition stood at 14,836 signatures on 3 October 2026. [S1] [S2] [S4] [S5] [S15] [S6]

Key facts

Status
Early stage (pre application) [S1] [S2] [S4] [S5] [S15] [S6]
Decided by
South Norfolk Council (South Norfolk and Broadland Council planning) [S3] [S4] [S5]
Applicant
Norwich Apex Ltd [S2] [S3]
References
2017/2794; No application or reference found for the data centre
Location
About 13 ha of land adjoining the A140 Ipswich Road and B1113 at Keswick, South Norfolk, on the southern edge of Norwich, opposite Harford Bridge Tesco; formerly consented as Apex Business Park. Close to the Norwich Main substation and the Hornsea 3 onshore converter infrastructure. About half a mile from homes and from three nature reserves (Danby Woods, Marston Marshes, Eaton Common per Norwich FoE). One scheme: the DataCentral 'power-line site' article describes the same site, and the Norwich to Tilbury power line is an unrelated National Grid project. [S1] [S3] [S4] [S5] [S6] [S7] [S10]
IT capacity
90MW [S1] [S11] [S16] [S2] [S3] [S4]
Total power
150MW [S1] [S11] [S16] [S2] [S3] [S4]
Site area
13 ha [S1] [S11] [S16] [S2] [S3] [S4]
Buildings
Two-storey data centre building with attached two-storey office block (DCD says three-storey offices), two substations; 19.4 m high from slab (33.55 m AOD). Campaigners (Stop Norwich Mega Data Centre) say the building would be 20 m high, double the 10 m of the earlier permission (campaign claim). [S1] [S11] [S16] [S2] [S3] [S4]
Investment (claimed)
£3 billion investment potential (claimed by developer's managing director, ITV) [S1] [S11] [S16] [S2] [S3] [S4]
Backup generators
Back-up generators of about 4,000 kVA capacity (number not given); campaigners raise diesel emissions [S1] [S2] [S4]
Cooling and water
Air-cooled chillers on a closed water loop; developer says no new water is needed for cooling. Heat rejection of about 108 MW at full load dispersed to the atmosphere (developer's own figure). [S1] [S2] [S4]
Designations
Developer's assessment says no adverse effects expected on Harford Bridge Marshes CWS, Depot Meadows CWS or Marston Marshes LNR; Norwich FoE: within about half a mile of three nature reserves (Danby Woods, Marston Marshes, Eaton Common) [S14] [S2] [S4] [S5]
Previous use
Agricultural land with permission 2017/2794 (granted 2018 per applicant) for the Apex Business Park industrial, warehousing and office park; Norwich Apex Ltd said in 2020 it was assembling access roads, link roads and landscaping, and ITV and the developer say construction has started; extent of works not verified. [S14] [S2] [S4] [S5]
Environmental assessment
Not stated; extended habitat survey April 2026; biodiversity net gain assessment in preparation (Norwich FoE); developer says over 10% net gain [S14] [S2] [S4] [S5]

Timeline

  1. 2018
    Planning permission 2017/2794 granted by South Norfolk Council for Apex Business Park (year as stated by Norwich Apex Ltd in its March 2020 local plan representation and by Silicon UK; reference 2017/2794 is the applicant's own quotation; the council record was not reached). Applicant said access and link roads and landscaping were being assembled in 2020. [S14] [S12]
  2. 2026-04
    Extended UK Habitat Survey carried out (month only) [S5]
  3. 22 June 2026
    Developer's pre-application consultation opened (to 12 July 2026) [S1] [S2]
  4. 28 June 2026
    Change.org petition created, targeted at South Norfolk Council [S6]
  5. 29 June 2026
    Trade press reported the 150MW plan; application said to be due in the coming weeks [S3]
  6. 7 July 2026
    Public consultation event at Keswick Reading Room, 3pm to 7pm [S2]
  7. 12 July 2026
    Developer consultation closed [S1] [S2]
  8. 22 July 2026
    Norwich South MP Clive Lewis publishes a statement setting four tests for any significant data centre (resource transparency, planning scrutiny, ownership clarity, community benefit); not an objection. [S17]
  9. 4 August 2026
    Norwich Friends of the Earth reported the application had not yet been published; demonstration planned for 5 September 2026 [S5]
  10. 26 August 2026
    ITV reported broadcaster Jake Humphrey joining campaigners and the council asking the developer to resubmit [S4]
  11. 5 September 2026
    Demonstration planned outside Norwich City Hall (outcome not found) [S5]
  12. 18 September 2026
    South Norfolk Council weekly list of applications validated, week ending 18 September 2026: no data centre or Apex entry (lists for weeks ending 5 and 11 September also checked, nothing). [S15]
  13. 25 September 2026
    South Norfolk Council weekly list of applications validated, week ending 25 September 2026: no data centre or Apex entry (fetch summary; list read via a summariser). [S18]

Politicians and organisations

  • South Norfolk Council reported by ITV to be asking the developer to resubmit (unnamed official; no councillor named)
  • Keswick and Intwood Parish Council chair (reported as Janet or Jan Hill) has said she wants more information once an application is made and fears Keswick being absorbed into Greater Norwich (Silicon UK, ITV, news aggregator)
  • Campaign names local MPs Ben Goldsborough (South Norfolk) and Clive Lewis (Norwich South) as contacts; no position by either was found
  • Clive Lewis MP (Norwich South) issued a statement on 22 July 2026 setting four tests (water and energy reporting, planning scrutiny given proximity to Marston Marshes and a school, ownership transparency, community benefit); he did not state a formal objection
  • Norwich Friends of the Earth
  • Stop Norwich Mega Data Centre (local campaign website, stopnorwichmegadatacentre.co.uk)
  • Local campaigners including broadcaster Jake Humphrey (a local resident)
  • Change.org petition organiser Neo Garrett
  • Keswick and Intwood Parish Council (concerns, not a formal objection)

Claims

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

  • Norwich Apex Ltd (developer): 100 to 150 operational jobs with an average salary of £90,000 [S1] [S2]
  • Norwich Apex Ltd (developer): Less traffic than the consented business park (1,342 fewer daily movements); no new water for cooling; over 10% biodiversity net gain; woodland planting for noise and visual screening [S1] [S2]
  • Matt Bartram, Norwich Apex (developer): Powered by green energy from Hornsea 3; closed-loop cooling; £3 billion investment potential [S4] [S1]
  • Jake Humphrey and other residents (ITV) (campaigners): 'This is the wrong development in the wrong place and the wrong size'; scale incompatible with village character; heat, diesel generator emissions, noise and water use [S4]
  • Norwich Friends of the Earth (campaigners): The proposed mitigation (ponds, wildlife corridors, tree planting) may not be genuinely 'more or better quality natural habitat' [S5]
  • A South Norfolk Council official (unnamed), as quoted by ITV (council): The data centre is nothing like what was permitted and the developer should resubmit plans [S4]
  • Stop Norwich Mega Data Centre (campaigners): Development would emit about 100MW of heat, affect about 5,000 households, and sits 650 metres from Marston Marsh nature reserve; 32 acres [S11]
  • Norwich Apex managing director, as quoted by Silicon UK and others (developer): Powered by offshore wind (Hornsea 3), closed-loop water cooling, 100 to 150 jobs on completion [S12] [S13]

Campaigns

Sources

  1. [S1] Norwich Apex Data Centre - Consultation event boards. Norwich Apex Ltd (developer), 22 June 2026. Level 3 source.
  2. [S2] Norwich Apex Data Centre (developer website, consultation 22 June to 12 July 2026). Norwich Apex Ltd (developer), 22 June 2026. Level 3 source.
  3. [S3] ~150MW data center planned in Norfolk, UK. DatacenterDynamics, 29 June 2026. Level 5 source.
  4. [S4] Jake Humphrey joins campaigners against 'mega data centre' on the outskirts of Norwich. ITV News Anglia, 26 August 2026. Level 4 source.
  5. [S5] Proposed Norwich data centre. Norwich Friends of the Earth, 4 August 2026. Level 6 source.
  6. [S6] Petition: Stop the South Norwich Data Centre Construction. Change.org, 28 June 2026. Level 6 source.
  7. [S7] Norfolk site follows the power line. DataCentral, 1 July 2026. Level 5 source.
  8. [S8] 10 UK data centre construction projects to watch. Construction Wave, 9 July 2026. Level 5 source.
  9. [S9] Norwich Apex Data Centre. datacentermap.com. Level 7 source.
  10. [S10] Norwich to Tilbury Project (National Grid 400kV line; unrelated to the data centre). South Norfolk and Broadland Council. Level 4 source.
  11. [S11] Stop Norwich Mega Data Centre (campaign website). Stop Norwich Mega Data Centre. Level 6 source.
  12. [S12] Norfolk Residents Fight Local Data Centre Plans. Silicon UK, 14 July 2026. Level 5 source.
  13. [S13] Why 5,000 people are fighting Norwich data centre?. The News International (Pakistan; rewrite of a BBC/other report), 9 July 2026. Level 5 source.
  14. [S14] Results for Norwich Apex Limited search (representation 21575, 16 March 2020, Greater Norwich Local Plan). Greater Norwich Local Plan consultation portal (gnlp.oc2.uk), 16 March 2020. Level 3 source.
  15. [S15] South Norfolk Council weekly lists of applications validated, weeks ending 5, 11 and 18 September 2026. South Norfolk and Broadland Council, 18 September 2026. Level 1 source.
  16. [S16] Norwich Apex: Norfolk, UK Data Center. Baxtel. Level 7 source.
  17. [S17] Statement: Proposed Data Centre in South Norfolk. Clive Lewis MP, 22 July 2026. Level 6 source.
  18. [S18] South Norfolk Council weekly list of applications received, week ending 25 September 2026. South Norfolk and Broadland Council, 25 September 2026. Level 1 source.