Buckinghamshire Council granted planning permission on 28 September for AWS to build a data centre campus at the Ridgeway Distribution Centre in Iver, according to reporting by Bucks Free Press. The approval proceeded even though planners acknowledged the project would damage the local landscape and Colne Valley Regional Park.
Amazon Data Services will demolish 17 existing industrial units to make way for the facility on a 7.3-hectare site. The main structure will reach 20 metres in height, and the campus will span 30,525 sq m. AWS submitted the plans in October 2025 after acquiring the Ridgeway site in an off-market transaction for £132.5 million ($175.1 million) in 2022.
Environmental Harm Weighed Against Need for Capacity
Planning officers balanced the demand for new digital infrastructure against the development's local consequences. They determined that the need for data centre capacity, job creation prospects, and a projected decrease in vehicle traffic relative to the current industrial use justified proceeding despite acknowledged environmental damage.
The facility is expected to support approximately 60 permanent positions once operational, plus construction-phase employment. Iver Parish Council took a neutral stance on the application but flagged concerns about traffic and air quality. The council also requested enhancements to pedestrian infrastructure, including the canal path, and called for low-emission vehicles during construction.
Generator Emissions Remain Under Scrutiny
The campus design includes 27 backup generators to supply power during grid failures. AWS has a separate environmental permit application with the Environment Agency for emergency backup generation at the site. The generators will primarily run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), with diesel as a secondary fuel option.
The approval requires a monitoring scheme for generator emissions. Amazon has committed £600,382 ($793,921) to offset air pollution impacts from the development and £73,000 ($96,532) toward public rights-of-way improvements near the site to promote non-car commuting. Additional submissions covering construction traffic, drainage, water consumption, and staff travel arrangements must still be provided.
Data Centre Approvals Face Closer Scrutiny
The Iver approval arrives shortly after Google won planning clearance for a major expansion at its Grange Castle Business Park data centre campus in Dublin. Google's 72,400 sq m project had been rejected by South Dublin County Council in August 2024, which cited inadequate electricity grid capacity and insufficient on-site renewable energy generation.
Google appealed the decision, noting it had secured a grid connection from EirGrid in 2021. An Coimisiún Pleanála overturned the refusal, though the approval includes requirements for evidence of power purchase agreement discussions before work starts and renewable fuel for backup generators. The decision faces potential judicial review.
Though the two projects faced different planning bodies and distinct local objections, both illustrate how scrutiny of new data centre capacity now extends well beyond infrastructure demand alone. In Iver, planners acknowledged environmental harm but approved the scheme after weighing that damage against perceived data centre necessity and redevelopment benefits, with mitigation measures becoming conditions of consent.
