Early stageLondon, England

Orpington Data Centre (DARE DC), Charmwood Farm, Green Street Green / Cudham

Bromley Council issued a positive EIA screening opinion on or around 21 July 2026, meaning any application must be accompanied by a full Environmental Statement because the proposal is likely to have significant environmental effects. As at 3 October 2026 no planning application, scoping request, withdrawal, appeal or legal challenge has been found in the sources that could be reached (the council portal could not be read and the web search allowance ran out, so this is a limited currency check). The local MP, Gareth Bacon, publicly opposes the scheme (1 and 4 September 2026). The developer says it is targeting a 2028 grid connection. ^{[S1] [S2] [S3] [S7] [S11] [S12]}

Key facts

Status: Early stage (screening or scoping) ^{[S1] [S2] [S3] [S7] [S11] [S12]}
Decided by: London Borough of Bromley (local planning authority) ^{[S1] [S3]}
Applicant: DARE-DC1 Ltd (applicant for the screening request); promoted by DARE DC Ltd ^{[S1] [S3] [S5] [S6] [S10]}
Developer or backer: DARE DC Ltd, which describes itself as a UK consultancy specialising in planning and development of data centres; agent Pegasus Group. DCD and datacentermap record the operator as Dare DC, headquartered in Arundel, West Sussex
References: 26/02508/EIA
Location: About 10ha of Green Belt farmland (Charmwood Farm) south of the A21 Sevenoaks Road, between Cudham Lane North and Charmwood Lane, between Green Street Green and Pratts Bottom, near Orpington and Biggin Hill, near M25 junction 4. Closest home about 100m from the site boundary. ^{[S1] [S2] [S3] [S4]}
IT capacity: 42MW ^{[S1] [S2] [S3] [S5] [S6] [S7]}
Total power: 50MW ^{[S1] [S2] [S3] [S5] [S6] [S7]}
Site area: 10 ha ^{[S1] [S2] [S3] [S5] [S6] [S7]}
Buildings: Two-storey, two-building campus, about 20m high, with a standby energy generation compound ^{[S1] [S2] [S3] [S5] [S6] [S7]}
On-site generation: Standby generation compound (no on-site renewable generation reported) ^{[S5] [S6] [S7]}
Backup generators: 16 diesel generators providing up to 48MW (as set out in the screening request, per Yahoo/KentOnline report of the council's opinion) ^{[S5] [S6] [S7]}
Cooling and water: Not specified in sources opened; the council's screening opinion cited water for cooling as a concern; the petition cites water scarcity ^{[S5] [S6] [S7]}
Designations: Metropolitan Green Belt; About 5ha of Grade 3a (best and most versatile) agricultural land; Two Grade II listed buildings within about 200m; Norsted Valley Woods SINC and Downe Bank / High Elms SSSI about 500m away; Bromley Downs Tier III archaeological priority area ^{[S1] [S2] [S7]}
Previous use: Agricultural farmland (Charmwood Farm) ^{[S1] [S2] [S7]}
Environmental assessment: Positive screening opinion: full Environmental Impact Assessment required (Bromley, reported 21 July 2026) ^{[S1] [S2] [S7]}
Public objections: 300 ^{[S1] [S11] [S12] [S3] [S5] [S8]}

Timeline

2026-06
DARE-DC1 Ltd submitted a request for an EIA screening opinion to Bromley (month as reported by Yahoo/KentOnline; the residents' association page dates the application July 2026). Conflict: the Green Street Green Association page shows the application as submitted on 14 July 2026, which cannot be squared with an opinion on 21 July unless 14 July is a validation or consultation date ^{[S1] [S3]}
2 July 2026
Developer project page last modified (page metadata); it states 50MW with 42MW IT load and a 2028 grid connection target ^[S6]
14 July 2026
Date shown as "application submitted" on the Green Street Green Association page for reference 26/02508/EIA (probably a registration or consultation start date; not confirmed at source) ^[S3]
16 July 2026
Deadline for public comments on the screening request (as shown on the Green Street Green Association page) ^[S3]
21 July 2026
Bromley Council issued its screening opinion requiring a full EIA; the council wording cited substantial electricity supply, water for cooling and a significant urbanising influence on the countryside. Change.org petition started the same day ^{[S1] [S2] [S8]}
23 July 2026
Date shown as "council response" on the Green Street Green Association page; KentOnline and Yahoo report published the same day, both dating the opinion itself to 21 July ^{[S1] [S3] [S7] [S13]}
25 July 2026
Local report that Bromley required a full EIA; more than 300 objections lodged before any application ^[S2]
28 July 2026
Trade press reports the proposal: two-building 50MW campus on 10ha ^{[S4] [S5] [S9]}
1 September 2026
Orpington MP Gareth Bacon publishes "No data centre on our precious green belt": "entirely inappropriate and we will fight it"; a second post followed on 4 September ^{[S11] [S12]}

Politicians and organisations

Gareth Bacon MP (Orpington): opposes; "entirely inappropriate and we will fight it" (personal website posts of 1 and 4 September 2026)
Green Street Green Association (opposes, 'deeply concerning')
Change.org petition 'Stop the construction of a data centre near Orpington' (Hazel Stinson)

Claims

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

DARE DC / DARE-DC1 Ltd (screening material as reported by KentOnline) (developer): Facility to store, process and run large amounts of data and software for rapidly growing data use, and with limited use of natural resources; noise impact 'would not be so significant' for the closest home ^[S1]
DARE DC project web page (developer): 50MW facility with 42MW operational IT load; 132kV dual-circuit connection; grid connection targeted for 2028 ^[S6]
Objectors to Bromley, as quoted by KentOnline and DCD (other): Location is in no way appropriate for such a monstrosity; harm to Green Belt, water, electricity, noise, wildlife ^{[S1] [S5]}
Change.org petition starter Hazel Stinson (campaigners): Proposal poses environmental and health risks and strains Kent's water supplies during a hosepipe ban ^[S8]
Gareth Bacon MP (personal website) (other): It is entirely inappropriate and we will fight it; two-storey data centre of around 15,000 sqm, about 20 metres high, with power equipment and water storage, on green belt ^{[S11] [S12]}

Campaigns

Stop the construction of a data centre near Orpington (2,632 signatures)
Green Street Green Association

Sources

[S1] Hundreds slam 'monstrous' plans to build AI-supporting data centre on green belt. KentOnline. Level 4 source.
[S2] Bromley residents oppose plans for AI data centre in green belt. Salamander News, 25 July 2026. Level 4 source.
[S3] Proposed data centre on A21 between Green Street Green and Pratts Bottom. Green Street Green Association. Level 6 source.
[S4] Dare DC Orpington Data Center in London (50 MW). datacentermap.com. Level 7 source.
[S5] 50MW 'monstrosity' data center proposed on green belt land in Bromley, UK. DatacenterDynamics, 28 July 2026. Level 5 source.
[S6] Orpington Data Centre (project page). DARE DC (developer website). Level 3 source.
[S7] Full impact assessment needed for huge Orpington data centre on Green Belt. Yahoo News UK (syndicated local report), 23 July 2026. Level 4 source.
[S8] Stop the construction of a data centre near Orpington. Change.org. Level 6 source.
[S9] 50MW Data Centre Proposed on Green Belt Land in Bromley, UK. Baxtel, 28 July 2026. Level 7 source.
[S10] DARE DC (company home page). DARE DC. Level 3 source.
[S11] No data centre on our precious green belt. Gareth Bacon MP (personal website), 1 September 2026. Level 6 source.
[S12] A huge data centre has no place on our green belt (blog listing, post dated 4 September). Gareth Bacon MP (personal website), 4 September 2026. Level 6 source.
[S13] Bromley green belt under threat as hundreds slam plan to build monstrosity data centre. Yahoo News UK (syndicated local report), 23 July 2026. Level 4 source.
[S14] Bromley public register record linked from the Green Street Green Association page (page did not render, error state only). London Borough of Bromley. Level 1 source.
[S15] Council takes action to prevent inappropriate development across Bromley (opened to check relevance: dated 23 March 2022, about Article 4 Directions, no mention of data centres). London Borough of Bromley, 23 March 2022. Level 1 source.

Take action on this scheme

Record

Confidence: medium
Last checked: 3 October 2026
Status as of: 3 October 2026

Spotted a mistake? hello@datacentrewatch.uk

Not yet confirmed

Bromley's own screening opinion document and the date it was issued (planning portal not reachable)
Whether a scoping opinion request or planning application has been submitted since 21 July 2026
Statutory consultee views (none found at this stage); positions of Bromley councillors and the Bromley executive (none found; the MP opposes)
Net IT capacity versus 50MW headline, water and cooling demand
Whether the 300+ comments are all objections (press says 'mostly negative'; association says over 300 objections)
Ownership of the land and whether the landowner has agreed to the scheme
Whether the reference 26/02508/EIA appears on the council record itself: it rests on one level 6 source and the council link would not render
Whether the 16 diesel generators providing up to 48MW figure is in the council document: it was not repeated in the KentOnline, Yahoo (122950987) or DCD pages re-read on 3 October 2026, so treat it as a single-source claim
Bromley council news article 325 was opened on 3 October 2026 and is a 2022 item on Article 4 Directions, unrelated to this site (resolved, not relied on)

Where sources disagree

date of Bromley's screening opinion: 21 July 2026 (KentOnline, Salamander News, DCD); 23 July 2026 (listed as 'Council Response' on Green Street Green Association page; also the publication date of a Yahoo report). Preferred: 2026-07-21. Several press reports date the decision to 21 July; 23 July looks like when the association or news article posted it. The portal entry was not reachable to confirm
IT capacity: 50MW IT capacity (KentOnline, Yahoo, DCD); 50MW facility with 42MW operational IT load (DARE DC project page). Preferred: 50MW total power, 42MW IT load (developer). Developer's own web page is more precise; press compresses it to '50MW'. Both recorded; both are developer claims
when the screening request was made: June 2026 (Yahoo/KentOnline report); July 2026 (Green Street Green Association page). Preferred: June 2026 (unverified). Association page may give the date of public consultation rather than submission; not confirmed on portal
floorspace: About 15,000 sqm building footprint (DCD, KentOnline, Yahoo); Floorspace (GIA) not given. Preferred: floorspace_sqm left null. Footprint is not the same as floorspace across two storeys
date the screening request was registered: June 2026 (Yahoo/KentOnline report); 14 July 2026, comments deadline 16 July (Green Street Green Association page); July 2026 (association page heading). Preferred: unresolved; June 2026 kept in timeline as reported. A 14 July submission and a 21 July opinion would be a very short turnaround; the association page may show a consultation start date. The council record would settle it but did not render
objection count: More than 300 objections lodged on the planning portal (KentOnline, Yahoo); About 300 mostly negative comments (DCD, 28 July). Preferred: about 300 comments, mostly objecting. DCD is more cautious; no portal count at a later date was reachable