PLANS for four data centre buildings in Newport - in a scheme set to create around 30 jobs - have been given the go-ahead despite concerns over lighting and privacy.
Newport City Council’s planning committee has approved plans for four three-storey ‘pods’ on land east of Celtic Technology Centres at Celtic Lakes in Newport.
The four pods will be used as offices and for storing data. In addition, the scheme benefits from 60 emergency generators, 29 car parking spaces, and a security lodge building.
The city council received nine objections from neighbouring residents who raised concerns over the height of the pods, lighting, noise from the generators, and parking.
However, council officers said these factors had been considered and conditions have either been put in place or it is not an issue from a planning perspective.
The scheme is proposed to be a similar design to the existing Next Generation Data Centre on the site, but split into four buildings.
The existing centre is already said to be Europe’s largest data centre.
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A report says each building would accommodate three floors of data hall space, as well as office floor space and welfare facilities such as toilets, showers and a kitchen.
In the planning committee Cllr Richard White said there was an “awful lot of concerns from residents” in the neighbouring Pencarn Avenue.
He said: “I have got quite a few concerns about this and it’s based on experience of residents.
“The construction hours of working say that it’s seven days a week from 8am-6pm.
“This strikes me as strange because normally on sites of this nature we would put conditions on Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings only.”
“I feel that this site should have been designed in a better way to accommodate the concerns of the residents on Pencarn Avenue.”
Cllr Val Dudley said she had “grave” concerns about the development, particularly lighting and the car parking spaces being so close to the houses.
However, despite the concerns raised the planning committee decided to approve the application.
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