FI17217

Request

My request concerns planning applications relating to data centres — including data storage or data processing facilities, whether new build, change of use, conversion or extension — within the area covered by your authority. 

For the three-year period from 1st January  2023 to 21 July 2026 inclusive, please provide: 

1. The total number of planning applications received/validated that relate to data centres. 

2. A breakdown of those applications by outcome:

   a) granted/approved;

   b) refused;

   c) withdrawn;

   d) still pending/awaiting determination. 

Where possible, I would also be grateful for a list of the relevant applications showing, for each one: the planning reference number, the site address, the date received, the current status, and (where decided) the decision and decision date. 

As data centres may not be recorded under a single category, I appreciate you may need to identify relevant applications from the description or use class (for example B8 or sui generis) — please interpret "data centre" reasonably and note any assumptions you make.

Response

Under Section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act, we have established that this information is not held. This is because Dover District Council has received no planning applications for data centres in the last three years.