Plans approved for new data centre at former Ford engine plant

Lewis Smith, local democracy reporter

The first stage of plans to turn a former car engine factory into a massive new data centre campus have been given the go-ahead.

They will now see the construction of a new two-storey data centre on the site of the former Ford engine plant in Waterton, Bridgend, about two miles away from the town centre.

The two-part application given to the authority by US-based Vantage Data Centres asked for permission to build the new data centre with associated substations, infrastructure, and landscaping.

Cluster

This came alongside outline permission for what could eventually be a wider cluster of 10 centres based at the Bridgend site.

A data centre is a physical facility used to store, process, and manage large amounts of data for a range of digital services such as online banking, video streaming, cloud services, and AI.

Centres such as this one operate for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year.

The proposal was approved unanimously by council bosses at a planning committee held on October 2, 2025, where officers described the project as a “major investment” into the Bridgend area for the next 15-20 years.

They added the project could generate around 950 full-time jobs once operational as well as 1,500 on-site jobs during the construction phase which is expected to last for at least 15 years.

The report read: “The applicant designs, develops, and operates secure and sustainable data centres and operates in 14 countries.

“It has established a significant presence in south Wales since 2010, with smaller campuses in Newport and St Athan.

“The proposed Bridgend campus will be approximately four times the capacity and size of the existing Newport campus.”

Vale of Glamorgan

The approval comes just a month after approval for a separate Vantage data centre was given at a site in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The construction of the first Bridgend building is set to begin early in 2026 with an anticipated two-year build period.

While outline permission for all 10 centres has now been given each additional centre will still go to the authority for full permission as the project progresses.

It could eventually see the transformation of former Ford site which was closed in September 2020 after 40 years of operations in the town.