UK Council Recommends Approval for Film Studio-to-Data Center Conversion in High Wycombe

Plans to convert a stalled film studio development into a data center campus near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, UK, have been recommended for approval by the Buckinghamshire Council Strategic Sites Committee, subject to a series of planning conditions and the completion of a legal agreement. The decision marks a significant repurposing of a strategically allocated employment site and underscores the growing demand for digital infrastructure capacity across the United Kingdom.

The site, located on land south of Wycombe Air Park, was originally proposed as an eight-stage film studio complex developed by Stage Fifty. That company collapsed in April 2024, and the development was subsequently taken over by Wycombe Film Studios, now operating as Wycombe Park Ltd. Following the collapse, Wycombe Park shifted its plans toward a data center development after Buckinghamshire County Council determined that a film studio scheme was unlikely to progress due to the changing commercial and funding landscape for film production.

The proposed development covers 13 hectares (32 acres) of land and would include six large data halls alongside offices, landscaping, and other supporting infrastructure. An economic statement accompanying the application estimated that construction could generate around 2,200 temporary local jobs, while the operational phase would support 1,027 full-time local positions. However, the council's recommendation notes that the actual operational workforce would likely amount to approximately 300 full-time equivalent roles. The committee acknowledged that while this figure is lower than might be expected from some alternative employment-generating uses on an allocated strategic employment site, the proposal would nonetheless provide an employment function and deliver economic benefits through both construction and operational phases.

The committee concluded that the use of the site as a data center would be "acceptable given the allocation of the site as a strategic employment area." It further found that the development would not limit aviation operations at the nearby air park, would have no adverse impact on highway safety or the local highway network, and would have an acceptable impact on neighboring amenities, given that pollution issues including air quality, light, and noise can reasonably be controlled by condition. The committee also recognized that data centers constitute important digital infrastructure and support the wider economy.

One notable concern raised during the review was the site's potential impact on the nearby Chilterns National Landscape and its surrounding countryside, which falls within the designated national landscape area. Planning policy requires that development must not adversely affect the natural beauty of the area. The committee stated that while the development would not have a decidedly adverse effect, the likely scale, massing, and visual presence of the scheme would fail to positively contribute to the character, appearance, and overall quality of the surrounding area. The application will now be delegated to the Service Director of Planning and Environment, who will likely grant approval subject to the previously mentioned planning conditions and legal agreements, which include securing travel plan monitoring, a speed survey, a traffic regulation order for speed limit reduction, and a damage-cost contribution to mitigate air pollution.