PLANS for a £200m data centre at the site of Microsoft’s former UK headquarters in Reading have been formally submitted to Wokingham Borough Council.
The proposals would see three office buildings at Thames Valley Park in Earley demolished and replaced with a major data centre operation, with the main buildings reaching up to 30.5m high – roughly the height of a 10-storey block of flats.
The scheme, put forward by property owner Mapeley, would include the data centre buildings, on-site power generation equipment, backup generators and office space.
Microsoft is due to leave the Thames Valley Park site completely when its lease expires at the end of 2027.
Planning documents say the completed facility could require up to 110MW of electricity – but just 1.8MW of National Grid capacity is currently available to the site.
Developers therefore propose using natural gas to generate electricity on site while waiting for the local electricity network to be upgraded.
The proposal has also raised the prospect of using heat generated by the data centre to supply a future district heating network in Reading.
Planning documents say this could eventually provide heat to local destinations including the Royal Berkshire Hospital, the University of Reading, Reading School and Kendrick School.
Mapeley bought the Microsoft site in 2005 and has proposed the scheme as a £200m investment in Britain’s growing digital infrastructure network.
The development is expected to create up to 65 jobs once operational.
Despite the significant reduction in the number of parking spaces – from 1,092 to 72 – developers claim the data centre would generate around 1,700 fewer vehicle movements each day than the site’s previous office use.
The plans have already attracted objections from members of the public, with concerns raised about noise, heat generation, carbon emissions, wildlife and the site’s proximity to Thames Valley Park Nature Reserve.
Others have backed the proposals, arguing the former Microsoft campus is a suitable location for a major piece of digital infrastructure.
A biodiversity assessment submitted with the application claims the development would deliver a biodiversity net gain of more than 22 per cent, exceeding the Government’s 10 per cent requirement.
Wokingham Borough Council will now consider the application, with planning documents indicating a decision is expected by March 2027.
The application can be viewed on Wokingham Borough Council’s planning portal under reference 262274.
