Decision pendingNorth East, England

West Sleekburn Data Centre (Wansbeck Regeneration Ltd)

Wansbeck Regeneration Ltd submitted an outline application (all matters reserved except access) for up to 356,500 sq m of data centre floorspace at West Sleekburn, with documents published on 18 June 2026. It was still under consideration by Northumberland County Council in mid-September 2026. ^{[S1] [S3] [S4] [S8]}

Key facts

Status: Decision pending (application submitted) ^{[S1] [S3] [S4] [S8]}
Decided by: Northumberland County Council ^[S3]
Applicant: Wansbeck Regeneration Ltd ^{[S1] [S3]}
References: TGQCQFQSMQD00; 70739/01/NW/EC
Location: About 28 ha of agricultural land north-west of High Brocklands, West Sleekburn, south of the River Wansbeck with the A189 to the east; part of land associated with the former GlaxoSmithKline site. About one to two miles from the QTS Cambois site. ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}
IT capacity: 50MW ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}
Site area: 28 ha ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}
Buildings: Three data centre buildings, two substations ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}
Investment (claimed): GBP3.8bn to GBP3.89bn (claimed by developer) ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}
On-site generation: Gas power plant described as up to 49.9MW ancillary generation in the application description; DCD and Silicon describe 90MW of natural gas fuel cells as a bridging solution to be removed once fully operational. ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}
Backup generators: Emergency generators using hydrotreated vegetable oil (Non-Technical Summary). ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}
Cooling and water: Developer says private water supply via borehole. Water tank and pump room included. Not independently checked. ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}
Previous use: Agricultural land, formerly part of land linked to the GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical site (operational 1971 to 2004, as reported by DCD) ^{[S1] [S2]}
Environmental assessment: Environmental Impact Assessment carried out; Environmental Statement and Non-Technical Summary submitted with application. ^{[S1] [S2]}

Timeline

18 June 2026
Application documents published (planning.org.uk path dated 20260618); Place North East reports 'Plans in'. Press 19 and 23 June 2026 (DCD, Silicon). ^{[S1] [S2] [S3]}
17 August 2026
Gazette lists a separate Factory Road, Cambois data centre screening opinion among new applications (different applicant, TBC Partners). ^[S5]
9 September 2026
MP Ian Lavery asks the Prime Minister to block further data centres in Blyth and Ashington, naming West Sleekburn. ^[S6]
17 September 2026
Council leader Glen Sanderson says there is 'a limit' to data centres Northumberland can house; West Sleekburn under council consideration. ^[S8]

Politicians and organisations

Ian Lavery MP (Blyth and Ashington): moratorium and Critical National Infrastructure Levy (2026-09-09)
Glen Sanderson, council leader: 'a limit' to data centres (2026-09-17)
Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor: 'people over infrastructure' (2026-09-24, general)
Protect the Wild (cumulative impact letter, 2026-09-30)
Informal residents' group (weekly leafleting at QTS site)

Claims

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

Wansbeck Regeneration Ltd (developer): 785 direct full-time jobs and 1,095 indirect (Silicon); construction 665-780 direct jobs and operational 460-640 direct jobs (Gazette/Place NE, from application documents) ^{[S3] [S4]}
Wansbeck Regeneration Ltd as quoted by Silicon and LBC (developer): Data centres benefit from clustering; private borehole water supply avoids local supply impact; noise below background levels ^{[S4] [S7]}
Ian Lavery MP (other): Moratorium needed until regulation catches up; community cannot become 'plug-in centre' for the nation's digital needs ^{[S6] [S7]}

Campaigns

Residents' weekly leafleting and call for a pause (unnamed group)
Protect the Wild open letter / petition against rapid AI data centre expansion

Sources

[S1] West Sleekburn Data Centre Volume 3: Non-Technical Summary (application 70739/01/NW/EC). Wansbeck Regeneration Ltd via planning.org.uk, 18 June 2026. Level 2 source.
[S2] Plans filed for three-building data center campus in Northumberland, UK. DatacenterDynamics, 19 June 2026. Level 5 source.
[S3] Plans in for West Sleekburn Data Centre. Place North East, 18 June 2026. Level 4 source.
[S4] Plans filed for second major Northumberland data centre. Silicon UK, 23 June 2026. Level 5 source.
[S5] Potential new data centre among 13 new planning applications in Northumberland. Northumberland Gazette, 17 August 2026. Level 4 source.
[S6] MP urges Prime Minister to block further data centre developments in Blyth and Ashington. Northumberland Gazette, 9 September 2026. Level 4 source.
[S7] 'Dumping ground for data centres': locals 'extremely worried'. LBC. Level 4 source.
[S8] Warning there is a 'limit' to the number of data centres Northumberland can house. Northumberland Gazette, 17 September 2026. Level 4 source.
[S9] Northumberland data centres: Wildlife group warns of combined impact on nature. Northumberland Gazette, 30 September 2026. Level 4 source.
[S10] Campaigners call for a pause on Cambois data centre plans. Northumberland Gazette, 19 August 2026. Level 4 source.
[S11] Application filed for data center campus near QTS' site (Factory Road, TBC Partners). BeBeez, 18 August 2026. Level 5 source.

Take action on this scheme

Record

Confidence: medium
Last checked: 3 October 2026
Status as of: 17 September 2026

Spotted a mistake? hello@datacentrewatch.uk

Not yet confirmed

Council's own application reference (only the Idox key TGQCQFQSMQD00 and a consultant document number were found)
Whether the application is formally valid and the consultation deadline
Number of public objections and any statutory consultee responses (Environment Agency, National Highways, Natural England, Coal Authority)
The 90MW fuel cell versus 49.9MW generation discrepancy
Opposition from the MP specific to this site (Lavery's call is general to Blyth and Ashington, naming this scheme)
Developer's parent or beneficial owners

Where sources disagree

Scale and power: 50MW IT load, 90MW gas fuel cells, three buildings (DCD); Up to 49.9MW ancillary power generation, up to 356,500 sq m (application description, NTS); Originally four buildings totalling 451MW before pre-application revision (DCD). Preferred: Application description: up to 356,500 sq m GIA with up to 49.9MW ancillary generation. Primary document wording; the 90MW fuel cell figure needs checking against the Environmental Statement.
Site area / distance: 28 ha (DCD, NTS, Silicon); 70 acres (Place North East). Preferred: 28 ha. Three sources agree; 70 acres is about 28 ha so the difference is units.
Submission date: Application documents dated 18 June 2026 (planning.org.uk); 19 June (DCD), 23 June (Silicon), lead list 9 June 2026. Preferred: 2026-06-18 (publication of documents). Council validation date not found. 9 June in the lead list is not supported by any source seen.
Is West Sleekburn a QTS site?: Lead list implied possible QTS site; Developer is Wansbeck Regeneration Ltd; LBC calls them separate developments. Preferred: Separate scheme, same as this record. Different applicant and site. 'West Sleekburn' and 'Wansbeck' in the lead list are the same scheme.