Era4 Data Centre secures planning approval East of Canterbury

London: British data centre developer Era4 has secured planning consent from Canterbury City Council for a state-of-the-art data centre at the Shelford Farm Estate, to the East of Canterbury. The decision followed a site visit undertaken by the members of the Planning Committee to assess the application in more detail. This approval will see significant investment brought into Canterbury.

Era4 is developing a network of sovereign AI data centre capacity across the UK through regenerating former industrial sites and brownfield land. In Canterbury, the proposed facility is located on the edge of the Shelford landfill site, a facility that has safely received waste from households across Kent for decades. This co-location enables the data centre to largely be powered by the methane generated on site through waste decomposition, minimising the impact on the grid. 

Era4 will now begin the specific designs for the facility and will share plans for construction with the local community.

Tom Humphreys, CEO of Era4 said: “We welcome the Planning Committee's decision to grant consent for our proposals on the outskirts of Canterbury. The UK's appetite for AI capacity is growing rapidly, and this type of facility has been identified as critical national infrastructure by Government. We look forward to progressing our plans for the site and installing cutting edge technology to minimise the impact on our resources, including draw on grid power and usage of water.”