Data center planned at Silicon Sands in Blackpool, UK, moves forward

A local authority-backed 6MW data center is set to be built in the UK seaside town of Blackpool.

Officers at Blackpool Council have recommended that the data center, which is located at the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, be granted planning permission.

A full planning application, including the data center and 20,000 sq ft (1,858 sqm) of office and research space, is set to be submitted before Christmas, and the council said it has had significant interest in the project from private sector companies keen to take it forward.

The data center will be part of Silicon Sands, a flagship digital infrastructure project at the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone. The airport was demolished in 2023 and is now being repurposed for business use. The data center would be built on the site of the former airport fire station.

More data centers could be built at the site in the future.

Cllr Mark Smith, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for Economy and Built Environment, said: “Silicon Sands is a transformational opportunity for Blackpool. It can create thousands of well-paid jobs, attract investment, and put us at the forefront of sustainable digital development.

“That vision is proven by the significant interest we have had from the private sector already.

“Silicon Sands is about so much more than just data centers, though. We are carefully managing the program so that we can create data centers which are carbon friendly, and can even supply waste heat back to local communities.”

The council said the data center will be powered by renewable energy and utilize immersion cooling.

Blackpool is not a big data center market, though an 80MW facility was proposed for Peel Park in the town in October 2024. The Silicon Sands site benefits from being close to a cable landing station for the Celtix-Connect2 subsea cable, which links Europe and the US.

The council has also submitted a bid to become one of the UK government’s AI Growth Zones, areas where data center developments will be encouraged through tax benefits and enhanced access to power.