A decision on whether to grant planning permission for an eight-building data center campus in Oxfordshire, UK, has been delayed.

The data center at Graven Hill, adjacent to the St David’s Army Barracks outside the town of Bicester, was granted outline planning permission in 2023, and a decision on detailed blueprints for the site was due this month.

But a spokesperson for Cherwell District Council, which is considering the plans, said: “The application remains under consideration and we have agreed an extension of time to the determination period, currently until May 10, 2026.”

If constructed, the data center campus would occupy 104,008 sqm (1.1 million sq ft) and comprise eight buildings and a new electricity substation. The site would require a maximum of 435MW of power, of which 290MW would be for the IT equipment.

Though the developer appears to want to draw power from the main grid, its energy impact assessment also recommends investigating private line connections to nearby solar farms.

It is claimed that the data center will create 600-800 jobs.

The application for the site has been submitted by Graven Hill Purchaser Ltd. Companies House data shows that the company, incorporated in 2021, shares an address with law firm Dentons.

Its directors include Peter Rumbold, of Commonwealth Asset Management. Last year, Rumbold and colleague Adam Fisher joined forces with Silver Lake to launch a data center-centric powered land acquisition company.