Buckinghamshire Council approves Amazon's massive M25 data center project

Buckinghamshire Council has granted planning permission for a major Amazon data center in Iver, located near the M25 motorway. The 18-acre facility will replace 17 existing industrial buildings, with officials arguing that the high demand for data infrastructure and potential job creation outweigh environmental concerns. The project has faced significant local opposition due to air quality fears, specifically regarding the 27 backup generators required to maintain continuous power. To mitigate these impacts, Amazon has entered a legal agreement to provide over £600,000 for pollution-offsetting measures and £73,000 for local pedestrian route improvements. The site will primarily utilize processed vegetable fuel for its generators, with diesel as a backup. This approval follows a series of contentious planning disputes regarding data center developments in the Iver area, highlighting the ongoing tension between the UK's growing digital infrastructure needs and local environmental preservation efforts.