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

All schemes

Decided in WhitehallEast of England, England

Quest Park data centre campus, Stewartby (Quest Pit)

On 15 June 2026 the Secretary of State directed under section 35 that the data centre campus is to be treated as development requiring a Development Consent Order, taking the decision away from the local councils. The developer has not yet held its statutory consultation or submitted an application; the government refused to treat earlier engagement as equivalent to statutory consultation. [S1] [S2] [S3] [S6] [S10] [S11]

Key facts

Status
Decided in Whitehall (nsip pre application) [S1] [S2] [S3] [S6] [S10] [S11]
Decided by
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Development Consent Order examined by the Planning Inspectorate) [S1] [S2] [S3]
Applicant
Questpit Limited (company number 09533916) [S4] [S11]
Developer or backer
David Kohler named as director in the press
References
Section 35 direction, 15 June 2026 (no Planning Inspectorate project reference found yet); CB/22/03616/FULL
Location
Quest Pit, a former London Brick / Hanson clay pit (worked 1901 to 2008) off Ampthill Road near Stewartby, about 5.5 miles south-west of Bedford, 57.8 ha (143 acres). The applicant's landholding is said to straddle Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough, but its boundary documents place the project wholly in Central Bedfordshire, and GOV.UK titles the direction 'in Central Bedfordshire'. The village of Stewartby itself is in Bedford borough. [S1] [S4] [S5] [S17]
IT capacity
720MW [S2] [S4] [S11] [S16]
Total power
1000MW [S2] [S4] [S11] [S16]
Site area
57.8 ha [S2] [S4] [S11] [S16]
Buildings
Four data centre buildings of about 41,000 sq m GIA each (three data halls each, 180 MW IT per building), plus a digital training facility (about 1,200 sq m) and offices (about 13,400 sq m) [S2] [S4] [S11] [S16]
Investment (claimed)
About £9.3 billion including the generating station (claimed by developer); £9.5bn in local press [S2] [S4] [S11] [S16]
On-site generation
The section 35 request describes an integrated gas generating station of about 1GW (itself a nationally significant project) with gas generating units in each building, and carbon capture provisions. The developer's website instead describes a 'non-combustion on-site microgrid' with certified biomethane, battery storage and a pathway to hydrogen. The two descriptions conflict. [S4] [S7] [S8] [S16]
Backup generators
Request statement: the gas units switch to backup once the grid connects in 2034. Developer website: renewable HVO standby instead of diesel. [S4] [S7] [S8] [S16]
Cooling and water
Advanced cooling equipment only; no cooling method or water demand disclosed in the request statement or on the website. [S4] [S7] [S8] [S16]
Designations
County Wildlife Site (designated 2015); Priority habitat: open mosaic habitat on previously developed land; also reedbed and standing water (section 41 habitats per the 2023 officer report); Only verified Bearded Tit breeding site in Bedfordshire in 2022 (campaigner claim) [S4] [S5] [S6] [S12] [S17]
Previous use
Former clay pit (1901 to 2008); consented film studio campus that stalled; earlier aquarium proposal sold in 2015 [S4] [S5] [S6] [S12] [S17]
Environmental assessment
EIA required before a DCO application can be submitted (developer's website); scoping not yet found [S4] [S5] [S6] [S12] [S17]

Timeline

  1. 2008
    Clay extraction at Quest Pit ceased (year only) [S4] [S5]
  2. 2015
    Quest Pit designated a County Wildlife Site (year only) [S5]
  3. 4 October 2022
    Hybrid application CB/22/03616/FULL for a film and TV studio campus registered [S5]
  4. 28 June 2023
    Officer report for the studio scheme (recommended for approval despite 'substantial harm to a County Wildlife Site') prepared for the Development Management Committee of this date [S5] [S11]
  5. 2024-06
    Studio consent described by the applicant as granted in June 2024 (month only; press says 2023) [S4] [S7]
  6. 24 April 2026
    Questpit requested a section 35 direction [S4] [S10]
  7. 15 June 2026
    Secretary of State issued the section 35 direction; request to treat statutory consultation as complied with was refused [S1] [S2] [S3]
  8. 3 September 2026
    Protect the Wild published a campaign article and petition on Quest Park [S12]
  9. 11 September 2026
    Bedford Independent reported the direction and local concerns [S11]

Politicians and organisations

  • Cllr Sue Clark (Conservative, Cranfield and Marston Moretaine, Central Bedfordshire): concerns on cumulative impact, power, water and traffic
  • Protect the Wild (campaign and petition)
  • Wildlife Trust and Bedfordshire Birding Club (made arguments against the earlier studio scheme per Bedford Independent; position on the data centre not confirmed)

Claims

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

  • Questpit Limited (developer): 710 to 1,145 direct operational jobs, up to 6,365 net additional UK jobs, £46m to £73m annual GVA, £7.1m annual business rates, about £9.3bn capital investment [S4] [S7]
  • Questpit Limited (website), which conflicts with its section 35 request describing gas-powered generating units (developer): Power on site is generated without burning fuel, with no smoke, soot or engine noise; gas use matched with certified biomethane [S8] [S4]
  • Questpit Limited (developer): 134 acres at Chapel Farm secured by option for biodiversity net gain [S6] [S7]
  • Protect the Wild (campaigners): Campus would emit about 4.5 million tonnes of carbon a year (basis not stated; one summary suggests the figure combines Quest Park with a Buckinghamshire scheme) [S12] [S11]
  • Glen Black, Protect the Wild; figure originates from the council officer's 2023 report (campaigners): The location threatens local wildlife, especially the Bearded Tit; the earlier studio plan would have caused a 48.78% loss of habitat units [S11] [S12] [S5]
  • Cllr Sue Clark, Central Bedfordshire Council (other): The development cannot be considered separately from other infrastructure projects; concerns about power, water supply and construction traffic [S11]

Campaigns

Sources

  1. [S1] Data Centre Campus, Ampthill Road, Bedford in Central Bedfordshire: Section 35 Direction, Planning Act 2008. GOV.UK (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), 15 June 2026. Level 1 source.
  2. [S2] Section 35 Direction: Data Centre Campus, Ampthill Road, Bedford (260615_QuestPit_Data_Centre_Campus_s35_Direction.pdf). Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 15 June 2026. Level 1 source.
  3. [S3] MHCLG decision letter on the section 35 request. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 15 June 2026. Level 1 source.
  4. [S4] Request for a direction under section 35 of the Planning Act 2008 (statement on behalf of Questpit Limited). Questpit Limited (published on GOV.UK), 24 April 2026. Level 3 source.
  5. [S5] Officer committee report CB/22/03616/FULL, Quest Pit film and TV studio hybrid application (DMC 28 June 2023). Central Bedfordshire Council, 28 June 2023. Level 1 source.
  6. [S6] Quest Park - Hyperscale and AI Data Centre Campus (home page, planning update June 2026). Questpit Limited, 2026-06. Level 3 source.
  7. [S7] Quest Park proposals. Questpit Limited. Level 3 source.
  8. [S8] Quest Park sustainability. Questpit Limited. Level 3 source.
  9. [S9] Quest Park timeline. Questpit Limited. Level 3 source.
  10. [S10] Quest Park news (April and June 2026 items only). Questpit Limited. Level 3 source.
  11. [S11] Fears for local wildlife as £9.5bn Stewartby data centre bypasses local council control. Bedford Independent, 11 September 2026. Level 4 source.
  12. [S12] Developers want to build an AI data centre on one of Bedfordshire's most important wildlife habitats. Protect the Wild (Substack), 3 September 2026. Level 6 source.
  13. [S13] Say no to data centres, yes to wildlife! (petition page). Protect the Wild. Level 6 source.
  14. [S14] UK government to rule on data center planned for former quarry in Bedfordshire. DatacenterDynamics, 18 June 2026. Level 5 source.
  15. [S15] UK Government to Decide on Data Center Planned for Former Bedfordshire Quarry. Baxtel, 18 June 2026. Level 7 source.
  16. [S16] Bedford's 1GW campus turns on gas bridge. DataCentral, 13 July 2026. Level 5 source.
  17. [S17] Stewartby (local authority: Bedford; Quest Pit aquarium plan sold 2015). Wikipedia. Level 7 source.