UK Developer Plans 650,000SF Data Center

UK developer Lasercharm is planning a 650,000 square foot data center project at the Elean Business Park in Sutton, located just north of Cambridge. The project is expected to cost 100 million pounds, or about $202 million, according to local media reports. The company says the data center component will be part of a larger mixed-use development that will also include a Marks & Spencer store and office space. The site is already zoned for data center use, as the previous owner received approval in 2003 for up to 2.2 million square feet of data center buildings.

The area around Sutton and Ely is fiber-rich and growing rapidly, according to Lasercharm's Alex Arthur. "Ely is an ideal location for the data center, with its highly skilled population and very attractive environment," Arthur told Cambridge News Online. "We are sure it will be attractive to many firms wishing to locate their operations in the area. We are aware of the council's desire to attract more jobs to Ely and that is one of the reasons why we think this just makes good sense."