Plans submitted for new data centre in south Wales

Lewis Smith – Local democracy reporter

Plans to turn a former south Wales car engine factory into a new data centre have been submitted to the local council.

The plans were put forward by US-based Vantage Data Centres in 2024 and could see the construction of a new data centre campus on the site of the former Ford engine plant in Waterton in Bridgend .

The facility was closed by Ford in September 2020 after 40 years of operations in a move which was described at the time as a major blow for workers in the area.

However, the site could soon see a new long-term development take shape if approved by the local planning authority, with a new data centre which would be used by large companies to store, process, and manage large amounts of data.

Cluster

If given the green light by council bosses it could eventually see a cluster of 10 centres built at the site just two miles away from Bridgend town centre along with three substations and a series of roads, landscaping, paths and parking areas to connect the development.

The company already operates a similar data centre in Newport and held feedback events and a public consultations to get feedback from local residents before the plans were handed in earlier this month.

They read: “Since its closure in September 2020, the redevelopment of the BEP site has been a local and regional priority.

“Vantage’s proposal matches that ambition and will help to deliver it. The data centre campus proposes the transformation of the whole site, with Vantage acting as owner, developer and operator of the project.

“Whilst a data centre campus is clearly a high value economic development, a scheme of this scale is rare.”

Plans

It adds that the proposed Bridgend Campus would be roughly four times the  capacity and size of the Newport site once fully up and running with as many as 600 well paid jobs expected as a result.

It is also estimated to generate around £8.3 million per year in business rates for Bridgend County Borough Council.

The current application covers the outline plans for the overall data campus along with a full application for the first of the buildings, which it hopes to start early in 2026.

Plans say the wider site would be developed over three phases with the whole of the campus expected to be built up over the next 15 years subject to approval and conditions.

The first stages could begin after works to demolish the former Ford facility, with approval already granted to remove above-ground structures and remaining equipment along with the removal of any slab and underground structures.