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Data centre site owners ordered to restore farmland

Lauren Hirst,North Westand
Marc Waddington,North West
Innova A large black building with wooden cladding. CGI image. Innova
The proposed Spodegreen Data Centre campus could look something like this, according to the company behind it

The owner of land earmarked for a proposed data centre is facing action over failing to restore the site to its original state.

Land off Millington Road near Little Bollington, near Lymm, Cheshire, was used as a compound for vehicles working on upgrades to nearby motorways, and now forms part of a site on which a tech firm wants to build a large data centre compound.

Cheshire East Council said the enforcement notice against the Tatton Estate was not linked to the data centre plan, but campaigners against the 60-acre facility hope the council action will make it more difficult for the proposals to get planning permission.

Tatton Estate said it was appealing against the enforcement notice.

Data centres are typically large warehouses that store servers that process and distribute information online.

The artificial intelligence boom has coincided with a significant increase in the number of proposals to build them but the plans near Little Bollington are facing some opposition from nearby residents.

Innova, which is behind a number of similar schemes around England, has previously indicated construction would start within three to five years if planning permission was granted by Cheshire East Council.

The Tatton Estate has granted Innova an option to develop the proposals on the land, part of which was used by civil engineering firms from 2014 onwards for works on a link road to the M6, and again during works to turn the M56 into a smart motorway.

Image shows a field and a gate blocking access.
The proposed data centre would cover a 60-acre site near Little Bollington

Mike Reed, one of the campaigners against the data centre plan, said: "People are concerned that the slowness... is connected to the estate's plans to develop the land, and that they will argue a case for it being 'grey belt' land suitable for development."

Grey belt land can include previously developed land in the green belt area which is of "little aesthetic value".

It was defined by the Labour government in late 2024 as land which - unlike green belt land - would no longer be automatically considered inappropriate for development.

But developers looking to build anything other than housing on grey belt land would still have to go through rigorous planning processes.

Innova is yet to apply for planning permission for its data centre complex.

Innova A map showing the proposed site for the Little Bollington data centre. The indicative site is sectioned in redInnova
The land identified for the data centre is owned by the Tatton Estate

A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said the enforcement notice was not related to the data centre proposals.

"An enforcement notice has been issued in relation to the nearby former Costain compound on land south of Lymm Road," the spokesperson said.

"This facility was previously given temporary permission for local construction works but was not removed and remediated as required."

A spokesperson for the Tatton Estate said they had "been in discussion with Cheshire East [Council] to propose a remediation strategy addressing security, appearance and the environmental impact of removing the hardstanding".

"The proposals included enhanced landscaping, which was refused.

"We are appealing on the basis that some structures and hardstanding constitute permitted development and should be retained, and that remediation timescales should be extended."

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