Questions over £12m data centre bid under hotel

Plans to create a subterranean data centre beneath a town centre hotel have promoted questions about energy use and the potential environmental impact.

The proposal would see the underground car parks and basement of The Brunlea Hotel, on Keirby Walk in Burnley, converted into a £12m data centre that covers 4,000 sqm (4,784 sq yards) of floorspace beneath the building.

Documents submitted to Burnley Council are scant on information about the operation of the data centre, with the applicant describing the scheme as simply "change of use".

It is not clear who would be using the data centre, how much electricity it would consume, or if it would create any jobs.

The proposal is linked to Real Big Group, a Burnley-headquartered firm which has expanded rapidly in recent years across the property, hospitality and leisure sectors.

The company describes itself as a "family of businesses built in Burnley" and operates a portfolio including hotels, estate agencies, lettings, property technology firms, and entertainment venues.

Much of what is known about the project's scale has emerged not from the planning application itself but from industry sources, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Construction intelligence company Glenigan has described the proposal as a £11.98m project involving the conversion of 4,047sqm (4,840 sq yards) of existing space into a data centre.

The plans mostly show the proposed facility taking over both the upper and lower underground parking levels of the hotel - which is undergoing a major refurbishment above ground - along with basement accommodation.

Yet that loss of parking formed part of a formal objection submitted by Burnley Council executive member councillor Martyn Hurt, who argued documents submitted with the application do not provide enough evidence to properly assess its impacts.

He noted that the proposal would remove the hotel's underground parking provision yet is not accompanied by a transport statement, transport assessment or parking study – which would explain the impact of losing this parking on nearby roads.

Hurt also questioned the absence of air quality assessments, energy information, carbon impact evidence, drainage details and noise assessments.

Data centres are among the most energy-intensive forms of development, requiring significant electrical capacity and extensive cooling systems to prevent servers overheating.

Responding on behalf of the applicant, planning consultant Claire Bradley told planners that the proposed facility would use a "closed-loop system" and that any cooling equipment would be located either underground or within a roof enclosure.

The outcome of the application will be determined by Burnley Council at a later date.

The Real Big Group has been approached for comment.

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