'Need for data centres outweighs other considerations': local council in the London commuter belt approves Amazon's massive M25 hub despite air quality fears
Amazon secures approval for a major data centre despite local pollution concerns27 generators have become central to concerns over the projectBuckinghamshire council says data centre demand outweighs several environmental objections
Amazon has received planning approval for a major data center beside the M25 in Iver, Buckinghamshire, despite concerns about worsening local air pollution from operations.
The UK site would replace 17 industrial and warehouse buildings at Ridgeway industrial complex with an 18-acre computing facility and supporting infrastructure for Amazon operations.
Buckinghamshire Council approved the proposal after officers judged demand for data centers, the jobs and an expected fall in traffic outweighed the other considerations.
Air quality concerns remain
The location already carries official air pollution restrictions, increasing scrutiny over emissions from equipment required to maintain continuous power supplies throughout the facility's daily operations.
Environmental health officers warned that 27 backup generators could release pollutants during testing and maintenance, even though modelling predicted negligible effects at nearby assessed locations.
The generators are expected to run mainly on processed vegetable fuel, while diesel would remain available when the primary fuel cannot be used safely onsite.
Local representatives also raised concerns about traffic, pollution and improvements to pedestrian routes around the development site.
A legal agreement requires Amazon to provide £600,382 for measures intended to offset additional pollution linked to the development and its future daily operation.
The same agreement also obliges the company to put in place a plan for monitoring emissions from the site's generators.
Amazon also agreed to provide £73,000 for improvements to public walking routes, although the council offered no comment following its formal approval of plans.
The main building would stand about 20 metres (65ft) tall, and the scheme also includes a substation, water tanks, a generator yard, security fencing and parking.
This development follows earlier planning disputes involving other proposed data centres in Iver, creating a local record of disagreement over similar projects.
Buckinghamshire Council previously rejected another proposed facility at Court Lane industrial site before that decision was overturned by the housing secretary.
Amazon development follows earlier planning disputes
Government action this year also acknowledged that an earlier approval for a nearby facility at the Woodlands Park landfill had been granted incorrectly by officials there.
Those earlier disputes provide context for the latest decision, which places another large computing operation within the same wider Iver area.
Planning documents estimate the Amazon project could create 60 permanent jobs at the facility, alongside additional employment during its construction period for workers and contractors.
The project is also expected to reduce vehicle movements, a factor officers considered when assessing the development against environmental and infrastructure effects.
The council sought better pedestrian routes, including the canal path, while also requesting cleaner vehicles during construction.
Amazon declined to provide a statement for inclusion, while Buckinghamshire Council said, “We don't have anything further to add,” after the approval was announced publicly.
