Key information
Request reference number: MGLA150926-7927
Date of response:
Summary of request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I request the following information, year on year, between 2021 and the present:
- The number of planning applications received for data centres in the Greater London area
- The number of objections submitted before the application for the data centre was either approved or refused
- The number of data centres approved
- The number of data centres currently operating in the Greater London area
Our response
The information requested is not currently held in a finalised form. The GLA is in the process of developing a new Data Centre Monitoring Dashboard which is intended to provide information on planning applications for existing data centres in London, as well as applications awaiting determination and those with consent awaiting completion. The dashboard is subject to an ongoing programme of data collection, verification and quality assurance, a process which has already taken several months and is not expected to be completed before November.
The requested information therefore forms part of material that is still being compiled and validated for publication. Disclosure at this stage would involve releasing incomplete information that remains under review and may be subject to change before publication. We are therefore relying on Regulation 12(4)(d) of the EIR, which provides an exception for material that is still in the course of completion, unfinished documents, or incomplete data.
In applying this exception, we have considered the public interest test. We recognise there is a public interest in transparency regarding the monitoring of data centre development across London and in understanding the evidence that informs planning and policy decisions. However, there is also a strong public interest in ensuring that information placed into the public domain is accurate, complete and reliable. Releasing information while it remains subject to quality assurance and validation could result in a misleading or inaccurate picture of development activity and may undermine public confidence in the final dataset.
On balance, we consider that the public interest in maintaining the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this time. The GLA intends to make the completed dataset publicly available through the Data Centre Monitoring Dashboard once the quality assurance process has been concluded. In the meantime, the published study already in the public domain represents the most up-to-date verified information currently available: London's Data Centre Future Growth Forecasts and Strategic Insights | London City Hall
Please note that in relation to part 2 of your request – you should refer to the website of Local Planning Authorities for this information. Consultation responses (including objections) are recorded on Borough’s planning portals.