Mapeley Submits Plans for £200m Data Centre at Earley Site

Property owner Mapeley has submitted plans for a £200 million data centre on Microsoft’s former UK headquarters site at Thames Valley Park in Earley. The project would require the demolition of three existing office buildings to make way for a facility featuring main structures reaching up to 30.5 metres, or roughly the height of a 10-storey block of flats.

Wokingham Borough Council Weighs Planning Application

Mapeley filed the application with Wokingham Borough Council, with a planning decision expected by March. The proposed campus at Thames Valley Park includes on-site power generation equipment, backup generators, and office space designed to serve as an investment in Britain’s growing digital infrastructure network.

Public response to the filing remains mixed. Some have raised concerns regarding potential environmental impacts, noise, heat generation, carbon emissions, wildlife, and the proximity of the development to the Thames Valley Park Nature Reserve.

Energy Demands and On-Site Gas Generation

Planning documents show the completed facility could require up to 110MW of electricity. However, just 1.8MW of National Grid capacity is currently available at the site.

To bridge this gap while waiting for the local electricity network to be upgraded, developers propose using natural gas to generate electricity directly on site. Developers have also raised the prospect of capturing heat generated by the data centre to supply a future district heating network in Reading.

Proposed District Heating Network and Job Creation

According to the planning application, the system could eventually provide heat to local destinations including the Royal Berkshire Hospital, the University of Reading, and local schools. Once operational, the campus would create up to 65 jobs.

The scheme also entails modifications to vehicle access and parking infrastructure. While the project would reduce the number of on-site parking spaces from 1,092 down to 72, developers claim the data centre would generate about 1,700 fewer vehicle movements each day compared to the site’s previous office use.

Campus Delivers Biodiversity Gain as Microsoft Relocates

A biodiversity assessment submitted alongside the planning documents asserts that the campus would deliver a biodiversity net gain of more than 22%, exceeding the government’s 10% requirement.

Mapeley originally acquired the Microsoft site in 2005. Meanwhile, Microsoft is scheduled to move into the existing HERE building, also located within Thames Valley Park, by the end of 2027.