10 December 2025

Slough Borough Council has granted outline planning permission for a significant data centre project on the site of a former paint factory off Wexham Road.

The development, proposed by Equinix, plans to utilise approximately half of the historic AkzoNobel site for large warehouse facilities to support various digital services. While the council approved the outline, details regarding the building’s appearance, scale, and landscaping will be addressed in a subsequent application.

The local authority sold the site to Equinix in 2022 for £143.75 million as part of efforts to reduce its substantial debt. The council had initially purchased the land in 2021 with plans to develop 1,000 homes there. However, developers have indicated that sufficient power supply for the later stages of the project may not be available until 2038.

A portion of the former AkzoNobel site is already being used for data centre development. Additionally, a public inquiry was recently held to consider whether a major data centre should be constructed elsewhere in Slough, specifically on a 20.2-acre green belt site known as Manor Farm Propco Limited. The company has applied to develop the site with a data centre, Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), generators, and other infrastructure. The final decision on this proposal will be made by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government in the coming months.